Weekly Rules of Golf

Ask A Rules Question

Here is your opportunity to ask a Rules of Golf question and get an answer from Dave.  One question will be selected each week.  Your question should be an actual situation encountered.  For best results, include answers to these questions if possible:

• What is the form of play (e.g., match play or stroke play; single, foursome or four-ball?)
• Who is involved (e.g., the player, his partner or caddie, an outside agency?)
• Where the incident occurred (e.g., on the teeing ground, in a bunker or water hazard, on the putting green or elsewhere on the course?)
• The player’s intentions (e.g., what was he doing and what does he want to do?)
• Any subsequent events (e.g., the player has returned his score card or the competition has closed.)

How Would YOU Rule?

Here is an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the Rules of Golf and win a prize.  The GCGA will draw a winner from all correct entries.  One entry per person or you will be DQ’d!

Entries for this contest close on Friday, July 31, 2008 at midnite.

Remember all answers based on 2008 Rules of Golf

QUESTION #3:  When taking relief from a cart path, Teresa notices that her ball has a slight scrape on the paint.  Before dropping two club lengths from the path, Teresa substitutes a new ball.  She plays the ball onto the green and sinks her putt.  What is the Ruling?
a. Teresa receives no penalty.
b. Teresa receives one penalty stroke for dropping two rather than one club length from the path.
c. Teresa receives two penalty strokes for substituting a ball when not allowed and dropping two club lengths from the path.
d. Teresa receives four penalty strokes: two for substituting a ball when not allowed; and two additional penalty strokes for dropping two club lengths from the cart path.

Rules In Action

A Rules situation and ruling taken from an on-course ruling at a GCGA tournament:

During match play of the 2008 Tony Blom Metropolitan Amateur Championship, a competitor hit his Original Ball into the tall fescue that borders many of the holes at Elks Run Golf Course.  Recognizing that his Original Ball might be lost, the player announced and played a Provisional Ball.  The Provisional Ball was also hit into the same tall fescue very near to where the Original Ball was hit.  The competitor then announced and played a second Provisional Ball which fortunately came to rest in the fairway.

Upon reaching the area where the Original Ball and the first Provisional Ball entered the tall fescue, the competitor asked the Rules Official: “Since I have two balls that I am searching for, do I have 10 minutes (5 + 5) for my search?”  What is your answer?

The correct answer is NO.  The competitor had only 5 minutes to search for both balls since they were both in the same area. 

Decision 27-4 (Time Permitted for Search for Original Ball and Provisional Ball)
Q. Is a player allowed five minutes to search for his original ball and five more minutes to search for his provisional ball, or just a total of five minutes?
A. If the two balls are so close together that, in effect, both balls would be searched for simultaneously, a total of five minutes for search is allowed.  Otherwise, the player is allowed to search five minutes for each ball.

Last Week's Question

The Question and Answer selected from last week was:

Q.  From Mark W: Stroke play, two players, bunker. I was playing with 2 men and one guy's ball lands on another ball in a bunker and comes to rest on that ball.  I am assuming the player further away hits 1st; however, the ball that is further away was buried in the sand.  Do you remove the ball on top (closer) and hit the ball on the bottom where it lies (buried).  (Note the ball was not buried prior to the other ball striking it).  Or does the player get the rake and drop.  After the 1st guy hits, how does the 2nd guy play?  Does he hit place the ball in the divot of the 1st shot or does he rake place?  How do you mark where the ball were to play the ball?

A.  Mark:  You are mostly correct with a few changes.  The key changes are that he PLACES the ball rather than dropping it and the original lie must be re-created.  Here is the procedure for the very unique situation you described:

1. The player with the “closer” ball must mark his ball and lift it so that the “farther” ball may be played (Rule 22-2 – Ball Interfering with Play).  Because the play of the “further” ball will probably strike or move the marker, the player may need to move his marker one or more club head lengths to the side.  Note: The player of the “nearer” ball must NOT clean his ball when it is lifted under these conditions (see Rule 22-2).

2. Because the “further” ball was NOT buried prior to being struck by the “closer” ball, the “further” ball undoubtedly MOVED downward when struck!  Rule 18-5, Ball at Rest Moved by Another Ball, requires that the moved ball be replaced.

3. Rule 20-3a requires that a ball to be replaced must be PLACED (not dropped) by the player, his partner, or the person who lifted or moved it.

4. However, Rule 20-4 also applies: Lie of Ball to Be Placed or Replaced Altered.  In this case, Rule 20-4 (iii) applies because the original lie was in a bunker.  The Rule states that “the original lie must be re-created as nearly as possible and the ball must be placed in that lie.”  If the players were not in the vicinity when the second ball struck the first ball, the players will have to use their best judgment to determine what the original lie looked like prior to the ball being struck.  Observation of nearby sand will usually suffice to determine whether the original location was raked, smooth, etc.  The key is that the player must return his “further” ball by PLACING it in a lie that he believes best recreates the original lie before being struck by the “nearer” ball.

5. The player with the “further” ball now plays his ball.

6. Now we re-start the procedure for the owner of the “nearer” ball.  Repeating steps 3 through 5, we note that in order to replace his ball the player must PLACE his ball in a lie that he re-creates.  If the player moved his marker one or more club head lengths from his original location, he returns the marker and then the ball after recreating the original lie (minus the “further” ball of course).  When the “nearer” ball has been replaced it is again “in play” and may be played.

Last Month's Quiz Answer

Answer to last month’s Quiz:

Q: While playing in the GCGA Mixed Tournament (4-Ball Stroke Play), Amanda’s tee shot lands on the putting green of a long par 3.  Her partner, Jordan, plays his second shot from a greenside bunker while Amanda is marking her ball and is distracted.  Jordan’s ball strikes Amanda and comes to rest on the green two feet from the hole.  What is the Ruling?

  A:  The correct answer is “a”.  Jordan incurs a one-stroke penalty and must play his ball as it lies.  In 2008, the penalty was reduced from two strokes to one stroke for having a ball in motion deflected or stopped by the player, partner, caddie or equipment (Rule 19-2).

 WINNER OF LAST MONTH'S CONTEST:  The winner of the June Rules Quiz was Tim Osborn.  Tim plays at Sharon Woods Golf Course or any Cincinnati course that he can!  Tim found this webpage as he was searching the GCGA website for results of the Tony Blom Metropolitan Amateur Championship.

Tim and a friend receive a free round of golf with cart at O'Bannon Creek Golf Club.  Thanks to O'Bannon Creek for providing this special prize.

Thanks to all of you who entered last month’s contest.  Only 6 of you answered correctly; 6 others selected answer “b” failing to note that the penalty for this Rules violation changed from two strokes to one stroke in 2008.