Category: Rules of Golf

Looking at the scale of golf highs and lows in the Rules of Golf a definite high is the feeling of relief when you errant shot lands in Ground under Repair. Under the Rules of Golf you get a free drop. Whew…..

When your errant shot lands in a water hazard it’s a low for sure but even this low is offset by the Rules of Golf. You can get a great lie, yippee, and it only costs you one a stroke.

The two stroke penalty is a definite low, but the worst is the dreaded two letter word DQ, disqualified. A sure fire low to end your game and possibly ruin your reputation.

I’d like to go over the following MUST CORRECT situations. If you don’t correct them, then yes, you guessed it…………. you’re DQd.

All must correct situations have the same stipulation they:

“Must be corrected before teeing off from the next teeing ground or, in the case of the last hole, before leaving the putting green.”

The Rules of Golf give a player this window of opportunity to avoid being DQd.

Failure to hole out 3-2 Stroke Play

If you fail to hole out your ball on any hole and do not correct your mistake you will be Disqualified. You have before teeing off from the next teeing ground, or in the case of the last hole before leaving the putting green to make the correction. But it is a “A must correct situation.”

Playing from outside the teeing ground 11-4b. Stroke Play

Under the Rules of Golf when putting a ball into play it must be played from within the teeing ground. If you play from outside the teeing ground you will incur a two stroke penalty, and you must then tee off from within the teeing ground. If you fail to correct you are Disqualified. A must correct situation.

The same applies for Rule 11-5, Playing from the Wrong teeing ground Stroke Play

A must correct situation, or you incur DQ.

Playing the wrong Ball 15-3b Stroke Play

If you make a stroke at a wrong ball you incur the penalty of two strokes. You must correct this mistake by playing the correct ball or proceeding under the Rules (lost ball, ob ball played). I’m sure you all know by when it MUST be corrected or you are disqualified. A must correct situation.

Playing from Wrong Place (serious breach) 20-7 Stroke Play

If you make a stroke from a wrong place you incur a penalty of two strokes and you must play out the hole with the ball played from the wrong place. However if the Committee considers you have gained a significant advantage as a result of playing from the wrong place you will be disqualified for a serious breach of this Rule.

If you believe you have committed such a breach you must play out the hole with a second ball in accordance with Rule 3-3 and report this fact to the Committee so it can be decided which ball counts. Such a serious breach is a must correct situation.

Threesomes/Foursomes (playing in incorrect order) 29-3.

If the partners make a stroke or strokes in incorrect order, such strokes are canceled and the side incurs a two stroke penalty. The side must correct the error by playing a ball in correct order as nearly as possible at the spot where it was first played in incorrect order, or the side is disqualified.

A must correct situation.

Ladies, I wish you only highs in your golf games this year and no lows, especially no two dreaded lettered ones under the Rules of Golf.

I hope this helps you.

Hilary

Hi Ladies:

The Principles of the Rules of golf expect the player to play by the Rules and not by their own decisions. It was reassuring to learn of some of our ladies’ decisions on their Rules infractions during recent Ladies play days. These expert ladies I know about, there are probably many more of you.

1. One of our ladies on the putting green recently moved her ball ever so slightly at address. No one saw, but she called the one stroke penalty, and moved her ball back the half an inch.

2. In trying to escape that pesky bunker on hole #15 one of our ladies hit her ball twice. No one saw, but she called the one stroke penalty on herself.

3. Two weeks ago the same lady accidentally hit her golf bag with her ball. Her fellow competitors saw but she was the first to say, “Rats, a one stroke penalty for me”. Either this particular lady is accident prone or likes to use the Rules!

4. The most dramatic example of responsibility came because the lady played a “wrong” ball. She hit the ball two times before realizing it was not her ball. She called the correct two stroke penalty on herself. She then tried to find her original ball but was unsuccessful. We all know the pressure on play days to keep up the pace of play so, instead of going back to the tee and hitting again, she knew to disqualify herself. She continued play even though she was out of the game. The dramatic part comes next. One the subsequent par three her shot would have won her all the cash for closest to the pin. She missed the pay day but her honesty paid in my rule book.

These examples of calling penalties on themselves are not heroic, they are just the right way to play the game. As a group it appears that we are learning the Rules and calling the correct penalties.

Way to go ladies!

Just to change it up the golf quiz this time I’ll give you some scenarios that happened lately on our course. I’ll never tell who did these…………………

1. You tee off on Hole #2 and your ball goes to the right. The ball hits the tree on the right hand side near the end of the lake. It bounces off one of the branches and goes to the left, sideways into the water. What are your options for your next shot?

The water in front of the #2 tee box is a water hazard as it has YELLOW stakes. You have three options.

1. Play it where it lies in the lake, rats didn’t you bring your bikini today?

2. Hit from the tee box again.

3. Drop a ball, but the tricky thing is ………………….where do you drop?

You CANNOT walk into the grass alongside the water and drop your ball where the grass looks good. Also you cannot just drop your ball two club lengths from where it went in as it is NOT a red staked lateral hazard.

As it’s a YELLOW staked hazard your last option is to drop the ball in a line behind where the ball crossed the hazard and IN LINE WITH THE PIN.

The line for the drop is “The pin being furthest away, then along that line where the ball last crossed the hazard, and then your ball that you drop as far back as you like.” Your line/angle for your drop depends on where the pin is located that day.

Kinda tricky especially as you might find yourself backed into that tree!

2. Hole #8. Your great drive bounces to the right into the rough at the 100 yard marker. You iron shot to the green flies left into the water along the fairway. You drop a ball close to where your ball went in and play to the green. You take a one stroke penalty, is this correct?

The water hazard here is marked with YELLOW stakes. You must be sure that you drop your ball at a place that is ON LINE A WITH THE PIN AND WHERE YOUR BALL CROSSED THE HAZARD.
If you just dropped it anywhere you may have played from a WRONG PLACE and it’s a further two stroke penalty. I know many of us are guilty of this breach on Hole #8.

Be careful and drop your ball in the correct place.

3. You are on Hole #9 and you have a great drive. For your second shot you grab your favorite fairway wood and aim for the green but you think that your ball slices towards the water. As you walk down the fairway you can’t see your ball anywhere. You decide that it must have gone in the water so you drop a ball within two club lengths from the lateral hazard markers where you think it went in. You hole out and add one penalty stroke to your score. As you walk off the green you see your pesky original ball lying in the rough.

What are your options, and should you add any more penalty strokes to your score or is one enough?

The bottom line is that you should not have dropped your ball at the red stakes of the lateral hazard as you were not VIRTUALLY CERTAIN or KNEW that you ball had entered the hazard.

When you couldn’t find your ball you should have used Rule 27 Lost Ball. Under this Rule you would have gone back to where you last hit the ball and dropped another ball, incurring a ONE stroke penalty.

As you did not do this you dropped your ball in a WRONG place and under Rule 20-7 you incurred a further TWO STROKES as penalty. Therefore, as you finished out Hole #9 you should add THREE Strokes to your score.

If you are in competition the Committee could even disqualify you for serious breach of a Rule. Ouch, that hurts!

So never use Rule 26 unless you know for sure that your ball is in a water hazard or lateral water hazard. If you’re not certain and cannot find you ball within 5 minutes use Rule 27, Lost ball. This way you’ll only pay ONE STROKE even if you find your ball later.

4. You are on Hole #17 and your ball lands in the front greenside bunker. Whew you’re feeling lucky as you didn’t go in the water again eh? Sad to say you’re feeling too good too soon. Your shot from the bunker comes out “HOT” and goes over the wood pilings into the lake. Rats! The water hazard is lined with YELLOW stakes

What are your options for your next shot?

No bikini again eh so you can’t play it as it lies. Your options, under penalty of one stroke, are………………

1. Drop a ball behind the water keeping the point where the ball crossed the margin between the hole and the place where you drop the ball.

Oh no, that would have you either standing in the lake, or way, way back in the 18th fairway on other side of the lake. That’s not a good plan.

2. Your only good option is to drop the ball in the bunker where your first shot came to rest and try again, more gently. Isn’t golf fun?

I hope this helps you.

Hilary

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Honor that which is sacred and equal within us all.