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.

2010 #8 Repairing Hole

THE SCENE

You are putting on hole #2. Your ball goes in the hole but as you reach in to pick it up you see a ragged edge on the side of the hole. You pat it back into place, then smooth it until it looks perfect. You look up and smile. But one of your fellow competitors says in a sing-song voice, “That’s a 2 stroke penalty, ya ya di ya ya.” Then she pointed her finger at you. “That will ‘influence the movement of our balls’.”

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

A. Laugh at her antics and tell her she is wrong.

B. Look at Rule 1-2 which says you can’t exert influence on another’s ball,

then take a 2-stroke penalty

C. Ask the Pro when you get in and adjust your score accordingly.

A  AND C ARE CORRECT

The Pro will tell you that if you repaired the hole as a curtesy to those following you, or just to care for the course, there is no penalty. However, if you did it for the purpose of making someone’s ball either go in or fail to go in, there is a 2-stroke penalty.

See Rule 1-2

1-2. Exerting Influence on Ball A player or caddie must not take any action to influence the position or the movement of a ball except in accordance with the Rules. *Penalty for Breach of Rule 1-2: Match play — Loss of hole; Stroke play — Two strokes. *In the case of a serious breach of Rule 1-2, the Committee may impose a penalty of disqualification. Note: A player is deemed to have committed a serious breach of Rule 1-2 if the Committee considers that his act of influencing the position or movement of the ball has allowed him or another player to gain a significant advantage or has placed another player, other than his partner, at a significant disadvantage.

And see this from Decision 1-2/3.5

A. If the player smoothed the edge of the hole as a courtesy to the players in following groups or for the care of the course, he was not in breach of Rule1-2. However, if the player’s primary purpose in smoothing the ragged edge was to influence the movement of his opponent’s, fellow-competitor’s, or partner’s ball, he was in breach of 1-2.

REMEMBER: It is okay to smooth a ragged edge of the hole, as long as you are doing it as a curtesy.

2010 #7 Lessons from your Husband

THE SCENE:

You are playing in a Sunday Couples’ Tournament. It is an individual stroke play competition. As you take your stance on hole #1 your husband says, “Hey, wait. You are not ready. Stand behind the ball...”

You mentally shake your head. This is an old problem. To shut him up you just swing back and hit the ball. But you are so up-tight that you pull your ball to the left, and it goes out of bounds.

Your husband says, “Now look what you’ve done. You need to stand behind the ball, pick out your target, ...yada yada yada...”

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Tell him:

A. to shut up

B. to give you a lesson after play on the practice tee

C. that you can’t relax when he is giving you instructions

D. to look at Rule 8

THE ANSWER IS:

D is correct. 

Many husbands seem to have a teaching addiction when playing golf with their wives. They just can’t help themselves. You have tried the first 3 options with no success. So, as D says, tell him to look at Rule 8.

Rule 8   Advice: Indicating Line of Play

8-1 Advice

During a stipulated round, a player must not

a) give advice to anyone in the competition playing on the course other than his partner.

The penalty for breech of the rule is 2 strokes.

So call your husband on it. Give him a 2-stroke penalty.

REMEMBER: If your husband or anyone you are playing with tries to give you lessons on the course, tell them they have earned a 2-stroke penalty.

2009 #2 Don’t Know What to Do? Play a 2nd Ball.

THE SCENE:
You are playing in a stroke play event. Your first shot on hole #2 finds the bunker. But even worse, your second shot goes out of bounds. You are under the impression that you can take a penalty stroke and drop within 2 club lengths of where the ball went out of bounds. So you find your ball, drop it and take your stance. Then Mary says, “Wait! You can’t do that. You are out of bounds. You have to go back to the bunker.” You look back at the bunker. That is a long way.

What would you do?

A. You decide to play your dropped ball. When you get in, you will tell the Committee. If there is a penalty you will add it to your score.
B. You announce your intention to play a 2nd ball and that you want your first ball to count - if it is legal. After hitting the dropped ball you play another ball from the bunker. You play both balls into the hole. When you get in, you report what you have done to the Committee.


B is correct.
The Committee will tell you that Mary was right. If your ball is out of bounds you must hit another ball from where you hit before. Therefore your score will be that of your 2nd ball, the one you hit from the bunker.

If you chose A. the Committee would have disqualified you. You played from a wrong place (20-7). You committed a serious breech (you gained significant advantage in distance), and you failed to correct your error.

Look at the following rule:

20-7. Playing from Wrong Place
 b. Match Play
If a player makes a stroke from a wrong place, he loses the hole.
 c. Stroke Play
If a competitor makes a stroke from a wrong place, he incurs a penalty of two strokes under the applicable Rule. He must play out the hole with the ball played from the wrong place, without correcting his error, provided he has not committed a serious breach (see Note 1).
If a competitor becomes aware that he has played from a wrong place and believes that he may have committed a serious breach, he must, before making a stroke on the next teeing ground, play out the hole with a second ball played in accordance with the Rules. If the hole being played is the last hole of the round, he must declare, before leaving the putting green, that he will play out the hole with a second ball played in accordance with the Rules.
If the competitor has played a second ball, he must report the facts to the Committee before returning his score card; if he fails to do so, he is disqualified. The Committee must determine whether the competitor has committed a serious breach of the applicable Rule. If he has, the score with the second ball counts and the competitor must add two penalty strokes to his score with that ball. If the competitor has committed a serious breach and has failed to correct it as outlined above, he is disqualified.
Note 1: A competitor is deemed to have committed a serious breach of the applicable Rule if the Committee considers he has gained a significant advantage as a result of playing from a wrong place.

REMEMBER: In a stroke-play event, any time that you are in doubt as to how you should proceed, play 2 balls and let the Committee decide.

2009 #1 Drop Outside Bunker

THE SCENE:

You are playing hole #2, a par three. You hit a great drive and your ball is on the green near the hole. You are going to have a birdie! You arrive at the green and as you stand over your ball with your putter you see the break. You decide to hit the ball through the break and for that you will have to hit it firmly.

You do. In fact you hit it so firmly that it flies by the hole, speeds up as it goes down hill, runs off the green and drops into the bunker. Oh, no! There goes your birdie. What are you going to do now?

What would you do?

A. Chip out of the sand, cross your fingers and hope that your ball lands on the green and stops close to the hole.

B. Deem your ball unplayable. Take a 1 stroke penalty and place the ball on the green, near the hole - at the spot from where you putted it.

B is correct.
Look at the following rule:

Rule 28. Ball Unplayable
The player may deem his ball unplayable at any place on the course, except when the ball is in a water hazard. The player is the sole judge as to whether his ball is unplayable.
If the player deems his ball to be unplayable, he must, 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 point where the ball lay, keeping that point directly between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit to how far behind that point the ball may be dropped; or
c. Drop a ball within two club-lengths of the spot where the ball lay, but not nearer the hole.
If the unplayable ball is in a bunker, the player may proceed under Clause a, b or c. If he elects to proceed under Clause b or c, a ball must be dropped in the bunker.

In the past I have told you that the only way you can get an unplayable ball out of a bunker is to play it from where it was played before. Well, this is one of those times when that is exactly what you want to do. You want to deem your ball unplayable, take a one stroke penalty and putt again. Hopefully this time you will make your putt.

REMEMBER: Any time that your ball lands in a bunker, if you are willing to take a penalty stroke you can play your next shot from where you played before.

2008 #14 Who Should Replace a Wrong Ball?

THE SCENE:
You are playing hole #2 and two drives have landed in the deep rough on the right side of the fairway. You know where your ball landed so you drive to that spot, find a ball and hit it. Then you point to the other ball nearby and see that it is in fact your own ball. Oh, no! You have hit a wrong ball. A two stroke penalty! “I’m sorry,” you cry. "I hit your ball by mistake. But here, I know exactly where it was." You pull another ball out of your pocket and place it where her ball was.

The owner of the ball walks over, takes her stance and hits the ball. But then one of the other players challenges her. “You, the ball’s owner, have to place the ball. You can’t let her do it for you. That’s a 2 stroke penalty.”

What should the owner do?
A.  The owner knows the challenger is right so she takes a 2 stroke penalty.
B.  The owner knows the challenger is right but says the penalty is only 1 stroke.

B is correct.

Look at Rule #15
15-3 Wrong Ball
If the wrong ball belongs to another player, its owner must place a ball on the spot from which the wrong ball was first played.

And look at Rule 20-3

If the ball is placed or replaced by any other person and the error is not corrected as provided in Rule 20-6, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.

This is new. In 2008 this rule was changed to reduce the penalty from 2 strokes to 1 stroke.

REMEMBER: If someone hits your ball by mistake, be sure that you, the ball’s owner, place a new ball on the spot from where it was hit.

2008 #12 When Should You Replace Your Ball?

THE SCENE:
You have hit your ball twice on #12, a long straight par-5 hole. A competitor hits her second shot. Everyone watches as the ball soars high into the air, then lands, on the fairway, rolls towards your ball then bumps it about 3 feet to the right. The competitor says, “Oh, I’m sorry. My ball hit yours. You will have to replace it.”

What would you do?
A. You play your ball as it lies. Only when your ball is moved on the green do you have to replace it.
B. You replace your ball. By doing so you avoid a 2-stroke penalty.

B is correct.
Look at Rule #18

#18 Ball at Rest Moved
18-5. By Another Ball
If a ball in play and at rest is moved by another ball in motion after a stroke, the moved ball must be replaced.

*Penalty for Breach of Rule:Match play - Loss of hole; Stroke play - Two strokes

When your ball is moved by another ball, you must replace it. And there are no exceptions. Whether your ball is lying on the green, the fairway or in a hazard, if it is moved by another ball you have to replace it. And if you fail to do so you will incur a 2-stroke penalty in stroke play or a loss of hole penalty in match play.

REMEMBER: If your ball is moved by another ball, replace it.

2008 #10 Where Can You Stand?

THE SCENE:
Your drive lands on the front of the 7th green, rolls towards the flag and comes to rest just two feet from the hole. You putt for a birdie. Your ball rims the hole and curls out, stopping inches beyond the hole. You now have a tap-in. Two other balls have been marked beyond your ball.

What would you do?
A. Reach across the hole and tap the ball back towards you, between your feet?
B. Walk around the hole, avoid stepping on the other players’ lines by awkwardly placing your foot behind your own ball, and then tap it in?

Both A and B are correct.
Many players think A is illegal because Rule 16-1e says you can’t putt while standing astride the line of putt. Sam Snead used to putt this way, as if he were playing croquet, until the USGA outlawed it.

But A is legal. It is true that you can’t straddle the line of putt. But in your Rules of Golf book under Definitions it says:
‘The Line of Putt does not extend beyond the hole.’
In our scenario you are standing beyond the hole. So you are not standing astride the line of putt. Reaching across the hole and tapping the ball in towards you is OK.
And B is legal, too. The same rule, 16-1e, says:
‘The player shall not make a stroke on the putting green from a stance astride, or with either foot touching, the line of putt or an extension of that line behind the ball’.
In B you placed your foot behind your ball – that is on an extension of the line of putt behind the ball.

This is new: But Rule 16-1e goes on to say: There is no penalty if the stance is inadvertently taken on or astride the line of putt (or an extension of that line behind the ball) or is taken to avoid standing on another player’s line of putt or prospective line of putt.

In other words, if, because you are trying to avoid standing on the line of another player, you place your foot behind your own ball, that’s okay.

REMEMBER: When you have a tap in, don’t worry about where you place your feet. There is no penalty.

2008 #9 Ball Hits Partner’s Equipment

The Scene:
You are playing in a four-ball competition. (Better ball of the two-some) Your ball is in the bunker on hole #7. The flag is in the right back corner. You can’t see the green but you blast your ball out with enough force to land it on the top level of the green.

As you rake the sand in the bunker and climb out onto the green, you hear the other players arguing about penalty strokes. They explain that your ball landed where you wanted it to, but it kept going, all the way across the green and into the fringe where it hit one of your partner’s clubs.

What would you do?
A. Play your ball as it lies, with no penalty. You couldn’t see her club. It wasn’t on the green. There is no Rules infraction.
B. Play your ball as it lies but take a one stroke penalty for hitting your partner’s equipment.

B is correct
This is new because the penalty has been reduced to one stroke. Last year the penalty was two strokes in stroke play, and loss of hole in match play.

Rule 19-2 is very clear. If your ball, in motion, is stopped or deflected by you, your partner or equipment belonging to either of you, you incur a one stroke penalty. See below:

Rule 19 Ball in Motion Deflected or Stopped
19-2 By Player, Partner, Caddie or EquipmentIf a player’s ball is accidentally deflected or stopped by himself, his partner or either of their caddies or equipment, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke.

REMEMBER: When playing with a partner, don’t risk hitting her clubs. Make sure they are out of the way. But if you do, the penalty is now only one stroke.

2008 #8 How to ID Your Ball

The Scene:
Your ball is lying in a bunker. You have marked all of your balls with one small red dot for identification purposes. But now that red dot is not visible. So, you lift the ball, make sure it is yours, replace it and hit it out of the bunker. But another player challenges you. She says, “Hey, wait just one minute. That’s a one-stroke penalty.”

What Would You do?
A. You are allowed to lift your ball in a hazard if that is necessary to identify it. So she is wrong.
B. There is a procedure that you must follow when lifting a ball you think is yours for the purpose if identifying it. You didn’t follow that procedure. So you incurred a penalty of one stroke.

B is correct
This is new. Up until January 1st, 2008, you couldn’t lift your ball in a bunker to identify it. So this procedure was not needed. The procedure is the same one used anywhere on the course when you need to identify your ball, except on the green. It is described in the following rule:

Rule 12-2.
…Before lifting the ball, the player must announce his intention to his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play and mark the position of the ball. He may then lift the ball and identify it, provided that he gives his opponent, marker or fellow-competitor an opportunity to observe the lifting and replacement. The ball must not be cleaned beyond the extent necessary for identification when lifted under Rule 12-2.
If the ball is the player’s ball and he fails to comply with all or any part of this procedure, or he lifts his ball in order to identify it when not necessary to do so, he incurs a penalty of one stroke.

REMEMBER: Before lifting a ball you think is your own, announce your intention, mark your ball, and then lift it while allowing the other players to watch.

2008 #7 Ball in Bunker

The Scene:
Laura hit her drive on a par three hole. Her ball landed in a bunker short of the green. She climbed down into the sand, planted her feet and blasted the ball out and onto the green. It rolled up close to the hole. She raked the sand, climbed out of the bunker and eagerly walked across the green to tap in her ball for a par. But then she discovered that the ball was not hers.

What should she do?
A. Laura hit a wrong ball. She should abandon that ball, take a 2 stroke penalty and go find her own ball.
B. Laura hit a wrong ball out of a bunker. There is no penalty because you are not allowed to identify your ball in a bunker.

A is correct
This is new. Up until January 1st, 2008, ‘B’ would have been correct. But Rule 12-2 has been changed. Now you will be allowed to lift a ball for identification in a bunker or in a water hazard. And because rule 15-3 also has been changed, if you fail to identify your ball and hit someone else’s ball – a wrong ball – you will be penalized 2 strokes (Loss of hole in Match Play).

Open your Rules of Golf Book to the following two rules:

Rule 12-2 Searching for and Identifying Ball
Last year the rule said:
… if he lifts his ball for identification (in a hazard), he incurs a penalty of one stroke.

This year the rule says:
…. if he lifts his ball in order to identify it (when not necessary to do so), he incurs a penalty of one stroke.

Rule 15-3 Wrong Ball
Last year the rule said:
If a competitor makes a stroke or strokes at a wrong ball (that is not in a hazard), he incurs a penalty of two strokes.

This year it says:
If a competitor makes a stroke or strokes at a wrong ball, he incurs a penalty of two strokes.

REMEMBER: You are now allowed to identify you ball in a hazard. But, if you hit a wrong ball, you will be penalized.

2008 #5 Adjust Your Score

The Scene:
You are playing with three other people. The feature of the day is best individual gross and net score. After play, you and Nancy post your foursome’s scores in the breezeway for the competition. Then she heads for the handicap computer. You say, “Don’t forget to adjust your score. You had a couple of 9’s and your maximum is 8.” She waved you off and said, “Oh, you don’t have to do that. The computer does it for you.”

What would you do?
A. Shrug and forget it?
B. Insist that she adjust her score?

B is correct.
You are required to adjust your score. On any hole where your score exceeds your maximum, you should reduce it to your maximum. The computer doesn’t do that for you unless you are posting a score, hole by hole.

Just think about it. Let’s say your handicap is 36. Because your handicap is in the 30’s, the maximum score you are allowed to take on any hole would be 9.

If you scored 108, you could have had a double bogey on every hole. And no adjustment would be needed.

But you could have pared the Par 3’s,and had a 14 on one of the Par 4’s. Because your maximum is 9, that would require an adjustment of 5 strokes!

Both scenarios add up to a score of 108. But one requires a big adjustment and the other requires none. How could the computer know that? It couldn’t. The computer knows that your maximum is 9 but it doesn’t know what you scored on each hole.

So, it is up to you. Adjust that 14 to a 9, giving you a total postable score of 103, not 108.

But why is this so important? It is important because if you fail to adjust your scores, the computer can’t calculate an accurate handicap for you.

REMEMBER: Every time you post a score in the handicap computer, if you have a score on any hole that is above your maximum, adjust it.

2008 #2 What if Wind Moves Your Ball?

The Scene:
Your drive lands on the green on hole #2. Your ball is way back in the left corner on a hill which runs off the green. You walk back to your ball, mark, lift and clean it. And then you replace the ball.

The ball stays there, at rest, while you view your line from both sides of the flag. Then your ball begins to move, slowly at first, then faster, and faster, rolling down the hill and off the green while you are yelling, “Stop! Stop you dumb ball!”

What would you do?

A. You know there is no penalty. You didn’t cause the ball to move. You hadn’t even addressed the ball yet. So you replace the ball on the green and then putt.
B. You play your ball as it lies.

B is correct.
You didn’t cause your ball to move. There is no penalty. But you must play it from where it lies. (Don’t replace it.) If you replace it you will be playing from a wrong place and penalized for that.
Open your Rules of Golf book to Rule 20-3d. You will see:

If a ball when placed comes to rest on the spot on which it is placed, and it subsequently moves, there is no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies, unless the provisions of any other Rule apply.

If the ball had rolled into the hole you’d have had a hole-in-one. So this rule sometimes helps and sometimes hurts.

REMEMBER: If your ball moves because of wind or gravity or the great unknown, don’t replace the ball. Play it from where it lies.

2008 #1 Can You Lift and Mark Your Ball?

The Scene:
You are playing hole #4 with Nancy. Your approach shot stops just short of the green. Nancy’s ball is about 20 yards behind yours, at the bottom of the hill. The flag is up front. Nancy asks you to mark your ball. But your ball is not on the green.

What would you do?
A. Since your ball is not on the green you are not allowed to move it. So you refuse.
B. You mark your ball and lift it carefully so that you don’t clean it.

B is correct
If another player thinks your ball might interfere with her play and asks you to mark and lift your ball, you are not only allowed to lift your ball, you are required to. But be careful. Don’t lift your ball because you think it might interfere with her play. Wait until you are asked. Otherwise you will incur a one stroke penalty. Open your Rules of Golf. See Rule 22-2

22-2 Ball Interfering with Play
Except when a ball is in motion, if a player considers that the ball of another player might interfere with his play, he may have it lifted. …The ball must not be cleaned unless it lies on the putting green.
In stroke play, a player required to lift his ball may play first rather than lift the ball.
Note: Except on the putting green, a player may not lift his ball solely because he considers that it might interfere with the play of another player. If a player lifts his ball without being asked to do so, he incurs a penalty of one stroke for a breach of Rule 18-2a, but there is no additional penalty under Rule 22.

Incidentally, you are allowed to mark your ball without a request if you think it might help her play. (Rule 22-1)

REMEMBER: If someone asks you to mark and lift your ball anywhere on the course, do so. But unless your ball is on the putting green, don’t clean it.

2007 #12 Wrong Ball - Must You Go Back?

THE SCENE:
In a Tuesday, stroke play event, you are playing hole #2. Your drive lands in the rough; the other players’ drives all stop on the fairway. You go forward, find a ball in the rough and hit it onto the green. You don’t realize there is a problem until you start to tee off on hole #3. As you tee your ball up you realize that it is a practice ball, not your ball at all. You ponder the situation and finally realize that when you hit a ball out of the rough back on hole #2, you hit a wrong ball.

What Should You Do?
A. You didn’t hit one of the other players’ balls so it’s not really a Wrong Ball. Hit your tee shot and play hole #3.
B. It is too far to go all the way back to search for your ball. You will slow up play for your group and those behind you, too. Take your 2-stroke penalty and play on.
C. Go back to hole #2. Find your ball and play it into the hole. If you can’t find it, treat it as a lost ball and go back to where you hit before - the tee on hole #2. Take a one stroke penalty for the lost ball and hit again. Whether you find your ball or not, take a 2 stroke penalty for hitting a wrong ball but don’t count any strokes you made with the wrong ball.

C is correct

I know going all the way back seems ridiculous. But if you don’t and you tee off on the next hole, you will be disqualified. See the rule.

15-3 Wrong Ball
b. Stroke Play
If a competitor makes a stroke or Strokes at a wrong ball that is not in a hazard, he incurs a penalty of two strokes.
The competitor must correct his mistake by playing the correct ball or by proceeding under the Rules. If he fails to correct his mistake before making a stroke on the next teeing ground, or in the case of the last hole of the round, fails to declare his intention to correct his mistake before leaving the putting green, he is disqualified. 
Strokes made by a competitor with a wrong ball do not count in his score.

REMEMBER: If you hit a wrong ball, unless you are playing Match Play, you must go back. Otherwise you will be disqualified.

2007 #9 Ball Lying Against Rake

THE SCENE:
You are playing a par 3 hole. You hit a good drive. Your ball stops just short of the green. It’s in the rough, beside the bunker. When you arrive you find that your ball is lying against a rake. You know the rake is a moveable obstruction and that you are allowed to remove it. So you lift the rake. But your ball rolls down into the hazard.

What would you do?
A. You must replace the ball. There is no penalty because lifting the rake caused the ball to move.
B. Gravity caused your ball to roll all the way down into the hazard. So, you must play it from there..

A is correct. If removing a moveable obstruction causes your ball to move you must replace it. There is no penalty.

Open your Rules of Golf book to rule #24-1:
24-1 Movable Obstruction
A player may take relief without penalty from a movable obstruction as follows: 
(a) If the ball does not lie in or on the obstruction, the obstruction may be removed. If the ball moves, it must be replaced, and there is no penalty provided that the movement of the ball is directly attributable to the removal of the obstruction.

A suggestion: This is not required, but I would suggest that before lifting the rake you mark your ball. Then, if your ball moves, there will be no doubt that you know exactly where to replace it. (If there is doubt as to its location you’d have to drop the ball. (Rule 20-3c))

REMEMBER: If you find your ball lying against a rake, there is no problem. You can lift the rake. And if your ball moves, replace it. There is no penalty.

2007 #8 Don’t Know Which Ball is Yours?

THE SCENE:
You are playing hole #3. Your drive goes straight up the middle of the apron towards the green but bounces left, toward the bunker and then out of sight. The next player’s ball follows yours. When you arrive, the two balls are close to each other but one is in the bunker, the other is in the rough. Both players claim the ball in the rough is theirs. Both balls are Titleists. Neither has an identification mark.

What would you do?
A.  The other player insists the ball in the rough is hers. You don’t like fights so you give in and play the other ball, the one in the bunker. You figure you are being a good sport.
B.  Both balls are ‘lost’. The penalty is stroke and distance. You lift one of the balls, mentally take a one stroke penalty and head back to the tee to hit it again.

B is correct. Your ball is lost so you must take a penalty stroke and replay your ball. If you failed to do this, you would be penalized 2-strokes for breach of Rule #27 (Lost Ball).

See Decision 27/10:
27/10 Player Unable to Distinguish His Ball from Another Ball

Q. A and B hit their tee shots into the same area. Both balls were found but, because A and B were playing identical balls and neither had put an identification mark on his ball, they could not determine which ball was A’s and which was B’s. What is the ruling? 

A. Since neither player could identify a ball as his ball, both balls were lost — see Definition of “Lost Ball.” This incident underlines the advisability of the player putting an identification mark on his ball — see Rules 6-5 and 12-2.

REMEMBER: Put an identification mark on your ball!! If you don’t and can’t tell your ball from another, take a penalty stroke, return to the spot from where you hit before, and hit again. If you don’t do that, you are then in beach of Rule #27 and must give yourself a 2 stroke penalty so you won’t be disqualified for turning in an incorrect score card.

2007 #5 Be Creative. Rules Can Help You

THE SCENE
At a PGA tournament the weather was bad. The players were allowed to lift, clean and place their ball within 6 inches of where it lay. One player’s drive stopped within a few inches of a sprinkler head. The sprinkler head bothered him but since it didn’t actually interfere with his stance or swing, he wasn’t allowed any relief. But by using the rules creatively he was able to provide himself with free relief of a full club length.

HOW?
He lifted the ball, cleaned it and placed it within 6 inches of where it lay – on the sprinkler head! Then, since his ball was now on an immoveable obstruction he got free relief and was allowed to drop his ball within one club length of his nearest point of relief.

Open your Rules of Golf book to Rule 24-2. You will see the following:
24-2 Immovable Obstruction
a. Interference
Interference by an immovable obstruction occurs when a ball lies in or on the obstruction, or when the obstruction interferes with the player’s stance or the area of his intended swing. ...
b. Relief


Except when the ball is in a water hazard or a lateral water hazard, a player may take relief from interference by an immovable obstruction as follows: 
(i) Through the Green: If the ball lies through the green, the player must lift the ball and drop it without penalty within one club-length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief. The nearest point of relief must not be in a hazard or on a putting green. When the ball is dropped within one club-length of the nearest point of relief, the ball must first strike a part of the course at a spot that avoids interference by the immovable obstruction and is not in a hazard and not on a putting green.

REMEMBER: Be creative with the Rules. Sometimes they can really help you.

2007 #4 Permission to Mark Ball

THE SCENE:
You are playing hole #15. Your second shot is short of the green.. You pitch your ball high in the air and even though you can’t see it, you think it settles near the hole. When you arrive on the green, however, you discover that you are away. You line up your ball and putt. It takes 3 putts to hole your ball. After everyone putts out, you notice a ball marker near the hole and ask who it belongs to. Your fellow competitor says, “Oh, that’s where I marked your ball. Why did you play from way over there?” You place your hands on your hips and say, “You did what!?! You had no right to lift my ball. You didn’t ask my permission.” You stab your finger at her. “You are going to get a big penalty.”

Who does get penalized?
A. She didn’t have the right to lift your ball. She incurs a penalty of one stroke.
B. You are penalized for playing a wrong ball (a ball that has been set aside)
C. There are no penalties for anyone. You must re-putt from where your ball was lifted.

C is correct There are no penalties. It is true that she didn’t have the right to lift your ball without your authorization (Rule 20-1) but in Stroke Play she is not penalized. (Rule 18-4)

Rule 20-1 Lifting and Marking
A ball to be lifted under the Rules may be lifted by the player, his partner or another person authorized by the player.
Rule 18-4 Ball moved by Fellow-Competitor, Caddie or Equipment in Stroke Play
If a fellow-competitor, his caddie or his equipment moves the player’s ball, touches it or causes it to move, there is no penalty. If the ball is moved, it must be replaced.

Since you didn’t know your ball had been set aside, you incur no penalty. But you must replay from where your ball was lifted.

Decision 15-3b/3 Fellow-Competitor Lifts Competitor’s Ball and Sets It Aside; Competitor Plays Ball from Where Set Aside


Q. In stroke play, B marked the position of A’s ball on the putting green, lifted it and placed it nearby on the green. A failed to replace the ball. He putted it from where it lay and holed out. The error was then discovered. What is the ruling?

A. When a ball is lifted, it is out of play. When A played a stroke with his ball which was out of play, he played a wrong ball….
..If A did not know that B had lifted his ball, A could not be penalized for playing a wrong ball. If he became aware of the mistake before playing from the next tee, he was required to replace his ball on the correct spot, without penalty, and complete the hole. If he learned of the mistake after playing from the next tee, the score with the wrong ball would stand and there would be no penalty.

REMEMBER: If you want to mark someone’s ball on the green, first ask her permission. Then don’t set the ball aside. Hand it to her and show her where you marked it. There is no penalty for failing to do this, but we should show consideration for others on the course at all times.

The USGA Etiquette .........Spirit of the Game

ETIQUETTE

Unlike many sports, golf is played, for the most part, without the supervision of a referee or umpire. The game relies on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players and to abide by the Rules.

All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be.

This is the spirit of the game of golf.

Until a couple of years ago etiquette on the golf course was encouraged but not mandated. Now, if you fail to follow the etiquette guidelines you can be disqualified, or even prohibited from playing on the course.

So be nice to one another.