ASK KATHY...

Did a rules question come up on the course today?
Are you wondering if you did the right thing?
Click COMMENTS below and Ask Kathy.

2011 #4 SLOW PLAY BREAKING UP INTO 2-SOMES

The Scene:

Your foursome is preparing to tee off on hole #6, a long empty par 5. The group behind you has been waiting on every hole. Mary says, “Look, there is no one on hole six or seven. We are behind at least 2 holes.” She utters an expletive. “You know that’s not allowed. We are holding up everyone on the course. What are we going to do?” She looks fiercely at the rest of us. “Whatever it is we have to do it right now!”

What would you do?

A.  Let the group behind you play though?

B.  Immediately break up into 2 twosomes. 

B is correct. The goal is to catch up and by breaking up into two 2-somes you can catch up.

The problem is that no-one thinks they should do this. Eighteen-holers say it wouldn’t work for them because they hit the ball too far. The second 2-some wouldn’t be able to start until the first was out of sight. So breaking up would just add another group to the field and that would slow play down even further. They say their best choice would be to just let the the group behind them play through.

Nine-holers say, (as they did in their Cruel Rules Competition) “This is probably an unrealistic scenario for the 9-holers.  Keep in mind there are many things you can do to speed up your play ....”

But when players try this option and actually break up into two groups, everyone is amazed. It works! And it works especially well for 9-holers - even very slow 9-holers.

A 2-some plays almost twice as fast as a 4-some. That’s a known fact.

Let the first 2-some start immediately. Then, because they are playing twice as fast as they were, they will soon catch up with the 4-some ahead of them. They will then play at a slower pace until the rest of their group catches up with them.

As soon as the first 2-some is out of range the second 2-some should tee-off. Unless you are very long hitters both groups will be playing on the par 5s and par 4s at the same time.

Remember, the second 2-some is also playing twice as fast as they were, so they will soon catch up with the first 2-some. They can then recombine into one 4-some. The entire golf course is now caught up!

When your group is behind, you are slowing up not just the group behind you but everyone behind them, the entire course. So catching up is better than letting one group play through.

REMEMBER: IF you break up into 2 groups, you CAN catch up.

2011 #3 Ball Moved by Equipment

THE SCENE:
Your ball rolls onto the cart path and stops. You know you get free relief from the path because it is an immovable obstruction. So, you drop your ball properly. You are holding several clubs. So, before taking your stance you select your 7 iron and toss your other clubs onto the ground.
Uh-oh! One of your clubs bounces and lands on your ball, causing it to move.


What would you do?
        A.    You hadn't yet taken your stance. So, there is no penalty. You reach out with your club and roll your ball back into place and then play it.
        B.    Your equipment accidentally caused your ball to move. You add a penalty stroke, replace your ball and then play it.

B is correct because even though you hadn’t yet taken your stance, your club did did cause your ball to move.


Look in your Rules of Golf book. Rule #18 says:
RULE #18 BALL AT REST MOVED
18-2. By Player, Partner, Caddie or Equipment
When a player’s ball is in play, if:
the player … causes it to move except as permitted by a Rule,
the player shall incur a penalty stroke… The ball shall be replaced.
(ii)equipment of the player or his partner causes the ball to move,
the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.
If the ball is moved, it must be replaced …
If you fail to replace your ball, you'll be in breech of Rule #18, a maximum 2-stroke penalty.


What this means to you is:
Your ball was at rest.
Your club (your equipment) caused your ball to move.
You incur one penalty stroke.
Your must replace your ball - or incur a 2-stroke penalty.


REMEMBER: If your equipment causes your ball to move, replace it and add a penalty stroke to your score for the hole.
 

2011 #2 Who Can Move the Flagstick?

THE SCENE:
Your 4-some is on the green of hole #4. All of your balls lie within 6 feet of the cup. Mary removes the flag and places it on the ground. Your partner putts. Her ball misses the hole then heads towards the flagstick. It’s going to hit. And that will be a two stroke penalty.


You rush over and lift the flagstick just in time. The ball rolls on by and then stops. Whew! But one of the other players shakes her finger at you and says, “That’s a two stroke penalty. You can’t lift the flag while the ball is moving! Only the person who removed the flagstick can move it.”


WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
A) You know you are allowed to move the flag so you refuse to take a penalty.
B) You just got excited and acted without thinking. You apologize and take a 2-stroke penalty.


A IS CORRECT.
This was new in 2008. Anyone is allowed to move a flagstick lying on the ground to prevent a ball from hitting it.


Actually, there are two things you can move out of the way of a ball in motion. Equipment of the players and a flagstick whether you are ‘tending it, holding it up or have placed it on the ground.


Look in your Rules of Golf book at Rule #24
24-1. Movable Obstruction
When a ball is in motion, an obstruction that might influence the movement of the ball, other than equipment of any player or the flagstick when attended, removed or held up, must not be moved.
Penalty for Breach of Rule:
Match play - Loss of hole; Stroke play - Two strokes.


Then look at this decision which says that anyone can move the flag:

17-1/6 Attended Flagstick Placed on Ground Subsequently Lifted Q. While a ball is in motion after a stroke, the person attending the flagstick removes it and places it on the ground. He then realizes the ball might strike the flagstick, so he picks it up. What is the ruling? A. There is no penalty. A flagstick that is attended, removed, or held up may be moved by anyone even if doing so could influence the movement of a ball in motion (Rule 24-1). REMEMBER: Anyone is now allowed to move the flag if a ball might hit it.

2011 #1 Can You Lift and Clean Your Ball?

THE SCENE:

Your ball in lying in the fairway on hole #4. It has a hunk of mud adhering to it. You lift the ball and rub it against the grass to clean it. But then your fellow competitor calls you on it. She says, “Hey! You can’t do that! That’s a one stroke penalty.”

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

A. You did lift and clean your ball, so you take a one stroke penalty.

B. Your ball had mud on it. You couldn’t even tell if it was your ball until you cleaned it. So there was no penalty.

A IS CORRECT.

You are not allowed to lift your ball. If you do so, you will be penalized 1 stroke.

See Rule 18 Ball at Rest Moved 

18-2. By Player, Partner, Caddie or Equipment

a. General

When a player's ball is in play, if:

(i) the player, his partner or either of their caddies lifts or moves it, touches it purposely (except with a club in the act of addressing it) or causes it to move except as permitted by a Rule, or

(ii)equipment of the player or his partner causes the ball to move,

the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.

You are not allowed to clean your ball.

If you lifted your ball to identify it, and if you followed the proper procedure for doing so (see Rules Tip 2008 #8 How to ID Your Ball), you will still be penalized 1 stroke for cleaning it.The following rule says you can’t clean your ball when you have lifted it to ID it.

Rule 21 Cleaning Ball

A ball on the putting green may be cleaned when lifted under Rule 16-1b. Elsewhere, a ball may be cleaned when lifted, except when it has been lifted: a. To determine if it is unfit for play (Rule 5-3); b. For identification (Rule 12-2), in which case it may be cleaned only to the extent necessary for identification; or c. Because it is assisting or interfering with play (Rule 22). If a player cleans his ball during play of a hole except as provided in this Rule, he incurs a penalty of one stroke and the ball, if lifted, must be replaced. The only time you are allowed to Lift, Clean and Replace you ball on the fairway is when the Club has instituted Winter Rules.

REMEMBER: When your ball lies in the fairway or ruff, even if it is very dirty, don’t lift it and clean it.

2010 #10 Erasure Rule

THE SCENE:

You are playing hole #2 on the Challenger course. Your drive is long enough but you pushed it to the right and it lands and rolls onto the cart path. You know that you get free relief from the cart path so you measure and find your nearest point of relief. It’s on the side nearest the hole, thank goodness. The only problem is that you are going to have to drop on the side of a hill.

So, you drop your ball and it rolls towards the hole. You shake your head, lift the ball and re-drop it. Again it rolls closer to the hole. You mouth a mild expletive and drop it yet again.

At that point one of the other players says, “Wrong! You know you can’t drop your ball 3 times. You have to place it! One stroke penalty.” You know she is right about dropping 3 times.

BUT WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

A. Take a one stroke penalty and place the ball where it first touched the ground the last time it was dropped.

B. Pretend you did not drop your ball the 3rd time and now place it where the ball first struck the ground when it was dropped the 2nd time.

B IS CORRECT

Rule 20-2 C vii says

A dropped ball must be re-dropped, without penalty, if it rolls and comes to rest nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief. It goes on to say that if, when re-dropped, it rolls into the same position, it must be placed as near as possible to the spot where it first struck a part of the course when re-dropped.

So, if instead of placing it, you drop the ball a third time, Rule 20-6 (the erasure rule) allows you to pretend you didn’t drop it the third time. You can lift the ball without penalty and then proceed according to the rules. This is true any time you incorrectly substitute a ball, or incorrectly drop or place a ball.

See Rule

20-6. Lifting Ball Incorrectly Substituted, Dropped or Placed

A ball incorrectly substituted, dropped or placed in a wrong place or otherwise not in accordance with the Rules but not played may be lifted, without penalty, and the player must then proceed correctly.

So, if you know the rules you won’t be penalized for dropping your ball a third time. But make sure you don’t do anything else before you lift it and place it properly.

Here is a decision that explains why:

20-2c/2  Ball Dropped Third Time When Placement Required After Second Drop Q. A player dropped his ball twice under a Rule and each time the ball rolled nearer the hole. He then dropped the ball a third time instead of placing it as required by Rule 20-2c. What is the ruling? A. Before playing a stroke, the player may lift the ball and place it as prescribed in Rule 20-2c, without penalty (Rule 20-6). If he fails to do so and plays the ball, he incurs a penalty of loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play for a breach of Rule 20-2c. REMEMBER: The Rules can help you, especially the Erasure Rule.

2010 #9 Water Hazard Tee Shot

THE SCENE:

You are playing hole #3 on the Charger. Your Tee shot flies low across the cart path then veers right into the water. You mentally mark where your ball crossed the red line and entered the hazard.You are climbing back into your golf cart when your fellow competitor says, “Where are you going? You have to hit from the Tee again.”

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

A. Point out that this is a lateral (red staked) water hazard and you can drop close to where the ball went in.

B. Tell her that even if it were a regular (yellow staked) hazard you would still have other options.

A  AND B ARE BOTH CORRECT

Your ball is in a lateral water hazard so you can drop within 2 club lengths of where your ball actually entered the hazard.

There are two kinds of water hazards, regular and lateral. The regular water hazards are surrounded by yellow stakes or lines. The lateral hazards have red stakes.

Your options, when your ball is in a water hazard are described in Rule 26:

under penalty of one stroke: a. Play a ball as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5); or b. Drop a ball behind the water hazard, keeping the point at which the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind the water hazard the ball may be dropped; or c. As additional options available only if the ball last crossed the margin of a lateral water hazard, drop a ball outside the water hazard within two club-lengths of and not nearer the hole than (i) the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard or (ii) a point on the opposite margin of the water hazard equidistant from the hole.

Basically what this says is that if your ball is in either a regular or a lateral water hazard, and you want to take relief, it will cost you a penalty of one stroke. Then you have two options. Now, suppose the water is a great distance from the tee, like on hole #7.  You can walk down towards the water and drop your ball on an imaginary straight line. Mentally draw  that line, starting at the flag, coming straight back across the water, across the point where the ball entered the hazard and on back as far as you wish. You can drop your ball anywhere on that line. Or as another option, you can re-hit from the tee.

If your ball is in a lateral water hazard (with red stakes) there are additional options available. Note where your ball entered the hazard (last crossed the line which defines the margin of the hazard). You can drop within two club lengths of that spot, no nearer the hole.

REMEMBER: When your ball goes into the water, there are a lot of options. You never have to hit again from the teeing box.