Category: Rules of Golf

1.  Your ball lands in a tree and you can see it but cannot reach it.   What, under the Rules, may you do?
2. When may you call your ball unplayable?
3. What are your allowed to do if you accidentally damage your club during a round of golf?
4. In a competition do you have to put your current handicap on your scorecard?
5. If you have correctly taken a drop under a Rule and your ball is at rest, but then due to natural causes it rolls into another area of the course before you get to play your ball what are you allowed to do?
6. Your ball lands in an Abnormal Ground Condition, Ground under repair, are you allowed to play your ball as it lies?

ANSWERS

1. As long as you can positively identify that it is your ball lodged in the tree you are allowed to take an Unplayable lie.  You may drop a ball at a place on the ground exactly underneath where your ball lies.  You incur a 1 stroke penalty. Rule 19
2. A player may call their ball Unplayable anywhere on the course, it is the sole discretion of the player. Rule 19
3. Beginning January 2023 if your club is damaged during a round, except in the case of abuse, (a bad temper, or deliberate damage) you may replace the club or continue to use it. Rule 4.1a(2)
4. In Stroke play you are not required to put your handicap on your scorecard and if you return your scorecard in a competition with an incorrect handicap there is no penalty.  It is, since January 2023, the Committee’s responsibility. Rule 3.3b(4)
5.  Replace your ball, there is no penalty, even if your ball rolled into a penalty area or Out of bounds . Rule 9.3
6. Yes you may play your ball as it lies or take free relief.  Rule 16.1 However, if the Committee decided that this area is a “No Play zone” you must take free relief. 

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Ladies:

I want to go over a couple of Rules’ situations that have come up recently to be sure we are “getting it right” when we play.

Provisional Ball, Rule 18.

This is one of the most useful rules, especially to speed up play when your ball may be out of bounds or lost, however it comes with specific instructions on how to use this rule.

1.  You must always announce to the other players that you intend to play a Provisional ball.  If you don’t then that ball will be the ball “in play” under stroke and distance, even if you find your first ball you cannot play it. 

2.  If you think your ball may be lost or OB you are allowed to leave the spot where you played your ? lost ball and then come backand hit a Provisional ball.  Once you you start searching where you think your original ball may be the three minutes search time starts.  You also have this same three minutes to return to where you last hit your ball and play a Provisional ball.  There is no penalty to do this as long as you return before the three minutes has ended, Rule 18.3a/2.  

3.  You cannot play a Provisional ball if you think your ball is lost in a Penalty area (e.g. water hazard).  Rule 17 covers the procedures for Penalty areas, and If you erroneously play a Provisional Ball in this situation it will be your “ball in play” under stroke and distance.  You will have lost the opportunity find your ball or to drop a ball closer to the hole where your ball crossed the Penalty Area. 

Dropping a ball, Rule 14

We are all aware how to drop a ball under the 2019 Rules changes, from knee height and it must be dropped within the one or two club length “relief area”. The dropped ball must stay inside this relief area, no closer to the hole. Choose carefully where you drop your ball in the relief area.  You may not like that it landed in a hole but you’re stuck with the lie. You cannot readjust the lie, it is what it is! 

I hope this helps you.

Hilary