Category: Rules of Golf

Ladies:

This happened recently in team play, do you know the answers?

Hi Ladies:

Finally time to send you a quiz……..enjoy!

1. You’re playing in a stroke play competition and you hole out before your partner does. While waiting for your partner or fellow competitor to putt you drop a ball and take a few practice putts on the fringe. What is the ruling?

a) There is no penalty

b) You incur a two stroke penalty

c) Both you and your partner incur a one stroke penalty

Answer b) Rule 7-2/3. Even if your excuse was that you were not practicing but just “killing time” as they were so slow you still get a two stroke penalty.

If you were in match play you would lose the hole.

2. A ball is holed when it is at rest within the circumference of the hole and any part of it is below the level of the lip of the hole?

a) True

b) False

Answer b) False.

The Definition of “Holed” is :

A ball is “holed” when it is at rest within the circumference of the hole and all of it is below the level of the lip of the hole.

With this in mind Rule 17-4 says if ball is resting against the flagstick and all of it is not below the hole you MAY NOT remove the ball. You may though remove the flagstick and if the ball then falls into the hole then it is “holed”.

3. You’re on hole #9 following a group of men players and they are sending divots flying all over the fairway. Your ball comes to rest right in front of one of their divots that is not completely detached and it interferes with your backswing. May you:

a) Press it down before you make your stroke

b) Remove the divot

c) Remove the divot and give it to them at the turn

Answer is: No and No for a) and b) and maybe c) after you’ve made your stroke

Rule 13-2/5 says that because it is not completely detached it is fixed and it is a breach of the Rules to move it. Sad to say the best you can do is fix it for the following players after you’ve made your stroke. And when you catch up with those guys tell them to fix their divots too!

4. You find your “nearest point of relief” from ground under repair and drop your ball in the correct place. Under which of the following circumstances do you have to re-drop your ball.

a) when the ball rolled less than two club lengths from where it hit the course

b) when the ball rolls closer to the pin

c) when the ball rolls and comes to rest in a hazard

d) when the ball hits your foot

Answer b) and c) and d)

In b) you may drop the ball a second time and if it rolls closer to the pin again you may place it where it first struck on the correct part the course.

In c) this is the same as b), drop again and then place

In d) you may drop it as many times as it takes NOT to hit your foot. If this happens to you maybe your shoes are too big?

5. Lindsey and SueAnne both play a Lady precept ball #3 from the tee. Both balls land in the same area of rough. When they find their balls they can’t tell which is which. What is the ruling?

a) They toss a coin to decide who chooses which one is theirs

b) They decide not to tell anyone and each play one of the balls

c) They reluctantly decide that both balls are “lost” and go back to the tee and hit again incurring one penalty stroke.

Answer c) I’m sure you all knew this answer. For this reason you should always put an identification mark on your ball, Rule 12-2 and 6-5.

I hope this helps you.

Hilary

As promised here is the second part of:

“How Match Play Rules differ to Stroke Play Rules”

1. A player may practice anywhere on the course, on the day of the match. Rule 7-1.

2. If you play a stroke and your ball hits your opponent, his caddie, or his equipment you can choose whether to replay the stroke or accept it and play your next shot from where it comes to rest. Rule 19-3. This might not seem fair if your wild shank has hit your opponent where it hurts and stops at his feet, but that is the Rule, so use it when it benefits you.

3. Similarly, if a player, when starting a hole, plays a ball from outside the teeing ground, there is no penalty, but the opponent may immediately require the player to cancel the stroke and play a ball from within the teeing ground. If you think they have made a spectacular shot you can make them rehit, a lousy shot don’t recall it!

4. Here is an unusual one, which not many match players know about. If a putt from the putting green hits another ball at rest on the putting green, whether it is your side or your opponents’ there is no penalty in match play, whereas there is a two stroke penalty in stroke play. Rule 19-5. Just play your ball from where it comes to rest and ensure that the ball that you moved is replaced back to where it was.

5. You are not required to keep a score card in match play, as each hole is either won by one side or the other, or halved between them, and the winner is the player who wins the most holes. For example, if a player is 3 holes up and there are only two holes of the stipulated round remaining the match is over with a result of 3 and 2. (NOTE In “our” team play we do as we count the number of holes won.)

6. In stroke play players may not suspend play for bad weather, unless they consider there is danger from lightning. If they do, the Committee would be justified in disqualifying them. Not so in match play, where players may discontinue their match by agreement, unless by so doing the competition is delayed.
If a match is discontinued by agreement, e.g. due to darkness or threat of lightning, the match must be resumed from where it was discontinued; the players do not start the round again.

7. Unlike stroke play, where you have an obligation to your fellow competitors to report every breach of a Rule that you witness, you DO NOT have to in match play situations, as you may disregard, or overlook any breach of a Rule by your opponent. The reason for this is that only you, or your side, are affected. It does not affect anyone other entrant in the match play competition. However, you still must not say anything to your opponent, as under Rule 1-3 there cannot be agreement with your opponent to waive any penalty incurred by either side.

8. If a player incurs a penalty that was not observed by their opponent they must inform the opponent as soon as practicable. If the player fails to do so before their opponent makes their next stroke they lose the hole, Rule 9-2b. This penalty also applies if a player gives incorrect information during play of a hole regarding the number of strokes taken and does not correct the mistake before their opponent makes their next stroke.

Finally, players competing against each other in a match are opponents; in stroke play a fellow-competitor is any person with whom the competitor plays their round. Neither is partner of the other.

Match play is a great format but when you play make sure that you understand where the Rules differ from those that cover Stroke play that you are more familiar with. With our Team Play about to start I hope this helps you.

Hilary