Discovery Bay Women's Golf Club

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