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 #5 LATERAL WATER HAZARD

THE SCENE:

You are playing hole #5 at Beech Mountain. You pull your tee shot. It shoots down the cart path then swerves to the left, hits a tree and bounces into the water. This is not the water hazard in front of the green. Your ball is in the fairly new water hazard between the 5^th green and the 6^th fairway. Oh, no! You tee up another ball and prepare to hit it, but your partner says, “Wait! You can hit from down beside the water, near the green.”

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

You know your ball is in a water hazard so you take a penalty stroke. Then you would:

A. Drop a ball within 2 club lengths of where the ball last entered the hazard, no closer to the hole.

B. Play again from the Tee.

A IS CORRECT because this is a lateral water hazard.

Have you noticed the bright red line recently painted on the grass near the water, both on the side of the hazard adjacent to the 5th green and on the other side of the hazard along the 6^th fairway? In fact the red line goes all the way around the hazard.

These lines get redrawn before any important tournament but then they fade as the grass gets cut. But remember them because what they mean is that this is a lateral water hazard.

What are your options when your ball is in a regular water hazard? You can hit another drive from the tee, or you can draw an imaginary straight line from the flagstick through the spot where your ball entered the hazard and on back as far as you wish. Unfortunately this straight line would just go further across the water and into the 6^th fairway. That wouldn’t help you a bit. So your only option would be to play again from the Tee.

However, you have more options if your ball is in a lateral water hazard. You can drop within 2 club lengths of where your ball last entered the hazard, no closer to the hole. So you would locate the spot where your ball crossed the red line. Then you would measure 2 club lengths from that spot, no closer to the hole. Then you would drop a ball within those 2 club lengths.

REMEMBER: When your ball is in a lateral water hazard you can drop a ball within 2 club lengths of where your ball last entered the hazard, no closer to the hole.

2007 #13 Did You Make a Stroke?

THE SCENE:
You are on hole #1, short of the bunker. You want to pitch your ball onto the green and let it roll to the hole. You pull out your pitching wedge and then line up to take a practice swing. You glance quickly at your target and swing back. Then your brain goes dead. Your arms reach out instinctively for the ball and the tip of your club head hits the ball, shoving it away from you.

What would you do?
        A.    It was a practice swing, not a stroke. You hadn't even taken your stance. So, it doesn't count. You reach out with your club and roll your ball back into place and then play it.
        B.    You took a stroke. You count it and then play the ball from where it lies.
        C.    You accidentally caused your ball to move. You add a penalty stroke, replace your ball and then play it.
 
C is correct because you didn't make a stroke but you did cause your ball to move.
Look in your Rules of Golf book under DEFINITIONS, page 3. You will see
    A “stroke’’ is the forward movement of the club made with the intention of fairly striking at and moving the ball, ...
Since you had no intention of striking the ball, you did not make a stroke. However, you did cause the ball to move. 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

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.
You, the player, caused your ball to move.
You incur one penalty stroke.
Your must replace your ball - or incur a 2-stroke penalty.

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

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.

2006 #16 Your ball strikes hers. Is there a penalty?

THE SCENE:
You are playing in the first stroke play Championship round, on hole #8. All four balls are on the putting green. One is beyond the cup. You are away, putting steeply downhill. None of the players has marked her ball.

What would you do?
A. Ask the players to mark their balls to prevent a 2-stroke penalty if your ball strikes one of them?
B. Say nothing and hope the player whose ball is beyond the cup leaves it there? If your ball misses the cup, her ball could act as a backstop. And she would get the 2-stroke penalty, not you.

A is correct. You would be penalized 2-strokes if your ball, after a stroke on the putting green, hit one of the other balls.

Open your Rules of Golf book to Rule 19-5. You will see the following:
Rule 19 Ball in motion deflected or stopped
19-5. By Another Ball
a. At Rest
If a player’s ball in motion after a stroke is deflected or stopped by a ball in play and at rest, the player must play his ball as it lies. In match play, there is no penalty. In stroke play, there is no penalty unless both balls lay on the putting green prior to the stroke, in which case the player incurs a penalty of two strokes.

REMEMBER: The only time there is a penalty when your ball hits another ball at rest is in stroke play, when both balls are on the green prior to the stroke.

2006 #15 Burrowing Animal Hole

THE SCENE:
You are playing the 18th hole. You hit your second shot over the hill and lose sight of it but you know it was on the right side of the fairway. You just hope it didn’t bounce down into the trees. You drive your golf cart down to the cart path. There is no sign of your ball. You climb out and walk down into the trees, searching under the huge rocks, inside the grate and finally you see it. It’s in a small hole. It’s a hole made by some animal, probably a mole or groundhog and your ball is down inside it. You can see it and it has your mark on it.

What would you do?
A. That area is not a hazard. You have to play the ball as it lies. But you can’t because it’s down in the hole. So you declare your ball unplayable, take a penalty stroke and drop within 2 club lengths.
B. The hole was made by a burrowing animal so you get free relief. You lift your ball, find your nearest point of relief and drop within one club-length, no closer to the hole.

B is correct.
The definition of Abnormal Ground Condition is:

Abnormal Ground Conditions


An “abnormal ground condition” is any casual water, ground under repair or hole, cast or runway on the course made by a burrowing animal, a reptile or a bird.

So what is a burrowing animal? The definition is:

Burrowing Animal


A “burrowing animal” is an animal that makes a hole for habitation or shelter, such as a rabbit, mole, groundhog, gopher or salamander.

So, your ball is in a hole made by a burrowing animal, which means it’s in an Abnormal Ground Condition. And you can drop within 1 club-length of your nearest point of relief. See the rule:

25-1 Abnormal Ground Conditions
a. Interference


Interference by an abnormal ground condition occurs when a ball lies in or touches the condition or when the condition interferes with the player's stance or the area of his intended swing.

b. Relief


Except when the ball is in a water hazard, a player may take relief from interference by an abnormal ground condition 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.

REMEMBER: If you find your ball in a burrowing animal hole anywhere on the course except in a water hazard, you get FREE relief.

2006 #10 How many times can you play your provisional ball?

THE SCENE:
You hit a drive on hole #2. As your ball nears the left bunker it strikes something hard, bounces high in the air, going left and disappears down the hill. It is a dry day and you know the ball might have rolled all the way down the hill and out of bounds. So, you announce that you are going to play a provisional ball and you tee it up. Then you swing. But oh, no! You looked up. The club barely clipped the top of the ball. The ball rolls off the tee box and stops. After a few muttered expletives you walk towards your provisional ball to hit it a second time. But your partner stops you. “If you hit that, it will be your ball in play and you’ll be lying 4. Don’t you want to search for your original ball first?”

What would you do?
A. What if your partner is right? If your original ball is not out of bounds you’d be lying 1 near the green. If you hit the provisional ball you’d then be lying 4. Of course you search for your original ball.
B.  You think your partner is wrong. You can hit the provisional until you reach your original ball. And the whole point of playing a provisional is to save time. So you hit it.

B is correct.

Look in your Rules of Golf book at 

Rule #27-2
b. When Provisional Ball Becomes Ball in Play
The player may play a provisional ball until he reaches the place where the original ball is likely to be. If he makes a stroke with the provisional ball from the place where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than that place, the original ball is lost and the provisional ball becomes the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 27-1).

REMEMBER: Once you hit a provisional ball you can hit it as many times as you need to until you reach the place where the original ball is likely to be. If you then find your original ball in bounds you can play it. In this case, if you found your original ball in bounds you’d be lying one.

2006 #6 Unplayable in Bunker

The Scene:
Your fourth shot on hole #12 went high and right then dropped straight down into the greenside bunker. You climb down into the bunker, determined to get your ball up and over the high lip (Can you call that big hill a lip?). So, you swing back and kill it. Your ball not only doesn’t get up, it buries itself up under the lip. You know you’ll never get it up from there.

You can take one penalty stroke and declare your ball unplayable. But then what? You could hit from where you hit before. But that was in the bunker and playing from there is what got you into this mess. So,

What would you do?
A. Take another penalty stroke to get out of the bunker? Drop your ball behind the bunker on an imaginary straight line that runs from the flag through your ball and back as far as you wish?
B.  Drop your ball, inside the bunker within 2 club lengths of where it lies?
C.  Drop your ball on an imaginary straight line that runs from the flag through your ball and back as far as you wish? But drop inside the bunker?

Either B or C is correct.

If you chose A you probably know that for a price you can get out of the bunker when there is interference from an Immoveable Obstruction or Casual Water or Ground Under Repair. But you can’t pay your way out for an Unplayable Lie. I’m sorry, but in this scenario you are stuck in the bunker.

REMEMBER: If your ball lies unplayable in a bunker, except for playing your ball from where you played before, your options don’t include any way to drop your ball outside of the bunker. You’ll have to play your way out.

2006 #4 Lateral Water Hazard

THE SCENE:
You are playing hole #4 at Beech Mountain. You slice your tee shot. It lands on the cart path and bounces right, into the water hazard on hole #5. What would you do? See diagram below.

To drop a ball outside the hazard, you know you have to take a penalty stroke.
But where should you drop your ball?
 
A. Drop a ball within 2 club lengths of where the ball last entered the hazard. See       X, below.

B. Draw an imaginary straight line from the flagstick through the spot where your ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard (X) and back as far as you wish. We will refer to the part of that line that is behind the hazard as (Y-Y). Drop a ball behind the hazard anywhere on line Y-Y.


A is correct because this is a lateral water hazard.


This side of the water hazard (adjacent to hole #4 fairway) is marked by a red line or stakes indicating that it is a lateral water hazard. So, You can drop within 2 club lengths of where your ball last entered the hazard, no closer to the hole.

If this were a regular water hazard, marked by yellow lines or stakes, your only options would be to play again from the tee or to drop a ball on your imaginary line behind the hazard (line Y-Y).


REMEMBER: When your ball is in a lateral water hazard you can drop a ball within 2 club lengths of where your ball last entered the hazard.

2006 #3 When is Your Ball Out of Bounds at Beech?

THE SCENE:
You are on the 7th tee at Beech Mountain. You pull out your driver and hit a ball high. It slices to the right where it bounces on the cart path. The ball lands beyond the white out-of-bounds stake, but then it bounces back. It is lying on the grass between the cart path and the white stake. In addition to the white stakes there are white circles and the letters OB painted on the cart path.

What would you do?
A.  Since your ball is inside the white out-of-bounds stake you can play it as it lies. No penalty.
B.  The letters and circles on the cart path mean that everything beyond the cart path is out of bounds. So you have to take a penalty stroke and play another shot from the tee. After that shot, you will be lying 3.

B is correct.
On both hole #3 and hole #7 you will see “OB” and solid white circles painted on the cart path. Ideally the white wooden stakes would be driven into the cart path or into the ground right beside it. But that is impossible. So, instead, we have these drawings on the cart path. The drawings mean “everything beyond the cart path is OB”. The reason the OB line is so close to the path is because everything beyond the path is private property.

So, your ball is out of bounds and you must take a penalty of stroke and distance.

Open your Rules of Golf book and look at 

Rule 27-1:
 b. Ball Out of Bounds
If a ball is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5).

REMEMBER: At Beech Mountain, if your ball lies beyond the cart path on the portion of either hole #3 or hole #7 where you see “OB” painted on the cart path, your ball is out of bounds.

Rules 06 Tip #2 Range Finders

ARE RANGE FINDERS LEGAL OR ILLEGAL? Our current Rule 14-3 says that range finders are illegal. But a note says the Committee can make a local rule allowing them to be used.
… Except as provided in the Rules, during a stipulated round the player must not use any artificial device or unusual equipment:
For the purpose of gauging or measuring distance or conditions that might affect his play;



The following was added in 2008:


Note: The Committee may make a Local Rule allowing players to use devices that measure or gauge distance only.


ADVICE OR NOT ADVICE? A current decision, 8-1/2, says you can share with anyone the distance between her ball and the hole.
8-1/2 Exchanging Distance Information
Information regarding the distance between two objects is public information and not advice. It is therefore permissible for players to exchange information relating to the distance between two objects. For example, a player may ask anyone, including his opponent, fellow-competitor or either of their caddies, the distance between his ball and the hole.
But if the information was determined by a range finder and the local rule for a range finder has not been adopted, the player asking for advice will be disqualified.
This following was added in 2008:
Except when the Local Rule allowing the use of distance-measuring devices has been adopted (see Note to Rule 14-3), information regarding distance must not have been obtained from an artificial device used during the stipulated round. A player who obtains distance information that he knew was measured by anyone with an artificial device during the player’s round is disqualified under Rule 14-3. (Revised)

REMEMBER: You can share the distance you see on your range finder with those with whom you are playing, if the course where you are playing has adopted the local rule.

2004 #14 Do you want that ball to be marked?

THE SCENE:
On hole #2, your drive lands in the sand on the right of the putting green. You climb down into the bunker, take your stance and prepare to swing. Then you spot another ball on the green just beyond the hole.

What would you do?
A.  Ask the owner to mark her ball to prevent a 2-stroke penalty if your ball hits hers?
B.  Say nothing and hope she doesn’t mark? If your ball misses the hole it might be stopped by her ball.


B is correct. 

If your ball hit hers, there would be no penalty because your ball is not on the green.

Open your Rules of Golf book to Rule 19-5. You will see the following:

Rule 19 Ball in motion deflected or stopped
19-5. By Another Ball
a. At Rest
If a player’s ball in motion after a stroke is deflected or stopped by a ball in play and at rest, the player must play his ball as it lies. In match play, there is no penalty. In stroke play, there is no penalty unless both balls lay on the putting green prior to the stroke, in which case the player incurs a penalty of two strokes.

There is no penalty, so base your decision on whether or not you want the ball moved. If her ball is short of the hole, it could prevent your ball from going in the hole. If it is beyond the hole, it could serve as a backstop.

REMEMBER: If your ball is NOT on the putting green, there is no penalty if your ball hits a ball that IS on the green.

2004 #13 You Address Your Ball. Then the Wind Blows.

The Scene:
It is a very windy day. You chip your ball onto the green on hole #8, and it rolls up close to the pin. You walk forward to tap it in for a 5. You take your stance and ground your club. Then before you can swing your putter back the wind moves your ball closer to the hole.

What would you do?
You had already addressed your ball when it moved. Therefore you are ‘deemed’ to have moved it and must take a one-stroke penalty. But should you replace it?

A. You know you almost always have to replace your ball when something moves it, so you replace it now.
B. Wind moved your ball. You feel the ball should be played from where the wind moved it.

A is correct.
If you had not yet addressed your ball when the wind moved it, you would play it from where it lay. But since in this instance you had addressed it you are deemed to have moved it, yourself. So you have to take a penalty stroke and replace your ball. If you don’t, you will be playing from a wrong place and penalized for that.

Open your Rules of Golf book to Rule 18-2b. You will see:

  b. Ball Moving After Address

If a player’s ball in play moves after he has addressed it (other than as a result of a stroke), the player is deemed to have moved the ball and incurs a penalty of one stroke. The ball must be replaced unless the movement of the ball occurs after the player has begun the stroke or the backward movement of the club for the stroke and the stroke is made.

There is a simple way to avoid this penalty. On windy days don’t ground your club until you are ready to putt. You have addressed the ball only when you have taken your stance and have also grounded your club. On a windy day take your stance but don’t let your club touch the ground until you are ready to putt. Then if the wind moves your ball you will not be penalized and you will not have to replace it.

REMEMBER: If it is windy, don’t ground your club until you are ready to putt.

2004 #12 Borrowing Clubs

THE SCENE:
You are playing in a team event. You and your 3 partners are heading for the green on hole #7 when you realize your putter is missing. You chipped in on hole #6 (hallelujah!). So the last time you remember using your putter was on hole #5. You must have left it there.


What would you do?


A  Putt with your driver? (It has the straightest side)


B  Borrow a club from a team mate?
 
The Correct answer is A.
 
Many of you think that you are allowed to borrow a club from a partner, or team mate because Rule #4-4b says:
Partners May Share Clubs.

But if you read the small print that follows it says
Partners may share clubs, PROVIDED that the total number of clubs carried by the partners so sharing does not exceed fourteen.

That doesn’t mean that you can have 14 clubs and your partner can have 14 clubs. It means the total carried by both of you can’t exceed 14 - if the two of you are going to share clubs.
 
Otherwise you will be penalized 2 strokes for each hole where you borrowed a club, with a maximum 4 stroke penalty.

REMEMBER: Unless you want a 4-stroke penalty, don't borrow a club. Putt with your driver, or another club.

2004 #8 Is your ball embedded? in the Ground?

THE SCENE:
You hit a drive from the 18th tee. Oh, no! You pulled it left. Your ball is soaring above the trees, going way up on the hill. Maybe it will bounce down into the fairway. You wait expectantly. Nothing happens, You note which tree the ball went over, get a line on where you think the ball landed, then you drive down to the fairway, climb up the hill and search.

The good news is that you find your ball. The bad new is that it’s nestled down into some moss. But your fellow competitor says, “Don’t worry. That ball is embedded. You get a free drop.”

What would you do?
You drop your ball as near as possible to where it lies but not nearer the hole and hope it will bounce away from the moss.
You know that Beech Mountain has a local rule that provides relief for an embedded ball through the green (not just in a closely mown area like the fairway). But embedded in moss? You don’t think so. You play the ball as it lies.

B is correct.
Look at 

Rule 25-2. Embedded Ball
A ball embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground in any closely mown area through the green may be lifted, cleaned and dropped, without penalty, as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the hole.

Our local rule extends the area from ‘closely mown area’ to ‘through the green’. This includes the ruff. But the local rule was never intended to provide relief for a ball embedded in moss or in anything else.

REMEMBER: To get relief for an embedded ball, that ball must be embedded in the ground.

2004 #2 Slope and Handicaps

The Scene:
You arrive at Beech Mountain to play golf. The course has been re-rated. You didn’t have a chance to play all winter so you had no scores to bring back. But the handicap they give you is two stokes higher than the one you had when you left here last fall. 

What would you do?

A. Tell the Pro that the handicap computer is broken.
B.  The Slope is higher than last year. That means the course is harder. That’s what increased your handicap. But that means that you are not as good a player as you thought you were.

C.  Your handicap index is the same as it was last year. You get a higher course handicap (and more strokes) because the courseis harder.

C is correct.
Your handicap index is the true measure of your golfing skills. It is the same no matter where you play. Your course handicap is the number of strokes you are given to play a particular course.

The Slope indicates the difficulty of the course you are playing. The average Slope for a course is 113. If your golf course is of average difficulty your course handicap (the number of strokes you are given) will be the same as your handicap index. If your golf course is harder (the Slope is higher) you’ll be given more strokes and if your course is easier (the Slope is lower (under 113)) you will be given fewer strokes.

Last year the Slope at Beech Mountain was 113. If your handicap index was 25.1, your course handicap would have been 25. This year the Slope is higher, 120. If your handicap index is still 25.1 your course handicap would now be 27. You are still just as good a golfer as you were last year. You are just being given extra strokes to play a harder course.

Note: If you are a 27 and a friend of yours at a different course is a 25, that doesn’t mean she is a better golfer than you. Ask what her handicap index is. That is the only thing you can compare.

REMEMBER: It is your handicap index that indicates your golfing skills, not your course handicap. Your index is the number with the decimal place.

2003 #8 SLOW PLAY

The Scene:

What is wrong with slow, relaxed play? You paid your money. You should be allowed to enjoy yourself, right? Well, yes and no. If each person in your 4-some wastes just 15 seconds on each hole, your round will take an additional 18 minutes! And if your group takes an extra 18 minutes, everyone playing behind you will have your extra 18 minutes added to their round of golf, too.

There are good ways and bad ways to speed up your round. Some players begin running, foregoing practice swings, hitting fast – all the things that cause miss-hits and slow up play even more. The best way to speed up play is to do so between swings. Speed up your play in little ways, 15 second ways, which can add up to big savings.

To save 15 seconds, do smart things like always taking a club when walking to your ball and if in doubt, taking several. At the green park your cart so that after you have putted out, when walking off the green you will be walking towards the next hole. Take practice swings before it is your turn to play. Be ready to swing when it is your turn. Play ready golf. Don’t wait for someone behind you to hit when she is still walking to her ball.

Encourage your group to play quickly but don’t pressure them. During a recent tournament I waited for my guest on each hole. With a hole open in front of us, we were trying to catch up. As we walked off each green I’d jump in the cart and then wait – for at least 10 or 15 seconds – while my guest hurriedly put her clubs away, pulled out her driver for the next hole and then climbed into the cart beside me. She thought she was hurrying. She was actually wasting 15 seconds on each hole.

Finally I patted her cart seat impatiently and said, “Come on, just hop in.” She hurriedly put her clubs in her bag and then literally hopped in, landing on the metal arm of the cart seat (ouch!) and bruised herself. I felt so bad for hurrying her. Then I explained, “What I should have said was, ‘Don’t put your clubs away. Get in the cart, carrying them.’” I explained how that would save time. She could put her clubs away at the next tee while someone else was hitting. She wouldn’t even feel hurried.

REMEMBER: Seconds add up. Find your own little 15 second ways to save a lot of time. Your pace of play will improve. And the golfers behind you will rejoice.

2003 #7 Is it a provisional ball?

The Scene:
You are playing hole #4. You pull your second shot from the fairway left towards the big white rock, surrounded by flowers. You drive over to the rock and search in the flowers. You can't find your ball, so you look beyond the rock. Someone suggests that you go back and hit a provisional ball while they continue the search. You go back to the spot on the fairway from where you last hit. You drop another ball, declaring it a provisional ball, and play it from there. You chunk the ball and it stops about 25 yards away. Then one of the players, searching, calls out, "I found it! It's okay. It's in bounds." Your original ball has been found within 5 minutes of the time the search began.
 
What would you do?
A. Play your original ball which lies 2. You'd be hitting 3.
B.  Play your second (prov?) ball which lies 4. You'd be hitting 5.

B is correct.

If your second ball was actually a provisional ball, A would be the correct answer. But a provisional ball has to be played before you go forward to search. You searched first. So your second ball was not a provisional ball.

Rule #27-2 says:
The player shall inform his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play that he intends to play a provisional ball, and he shall play it before he or his partner goes forward to search for the original ball.
If he fails to do so and plays another ball, such ball is not a provisional ball and becomes the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 27-1); the original ball is deemed to be lost.

The purpose of playing a provisional ball is to save time. If you think your ball might be lost (outside a water hazard) or may be out of bounds, to save time hit another ball. But do so before you begin your search.

In this scenario your second ball is not a provisional ball. It is your ball in play. Add a penalty stroke for a lost ball and you are lying 4.

REMEMBER: Once you have started a search for your ball, you have given up the privilege of hitting a provisional ball. Search until your 5 minutes is up before going back to hit another ball. But be sure you invite those following behind you to play through.

2003 #3 Double hitting

The Scene:
You are in the rough just short of hole #4. The flagstick is up front. You lie two. You have been practicing your chipping and putting and have a lot of confidence. If you chip in you’ll have a birdie. The worst you can do is a par. You take your stance, aim for the hole and chip. As your club comes through it hits the ball, and then Oh, no! It hits it a second time. You hear both hits – and so does everyone else. But it’s okay. It felt terrible but the ball is going straight and stops just short of the hole. It's not a chip-in. But it's still good.

What would you do?


A Tap in for a par?


B. Tap in and then add a penalty stroke to your score for a bogey?

The correct answer is B.
 
Look up
Rule #14 Striking the Ball
#14-4 Striking the Ball More Than Once:
If a player’s club strikes the ball more than once in the course of a stroke, the player shall count the stroke and add a penalty stroke, making two strokes in all.

Now that is not one stroke for each time your club struck the ball. It is one stroke for the chip and a penalty stroke for striking the ball more than once. If you had hit the ball three times you would still incur just one penalty stroke.

REMEMBER: Anytime you hear that extra hit, add a penalty stroke to your score.