2003 Rules Archives

October 7, 2003

Player A has addressed the ball through the green. During his back swing, his ball moves; however, A completes his swing. Although he has done nothing to cause the ball to move, which one of the following is TRUE? Player A incurs:

A
no penalty.

B a one-stroke penalty and must play the ball as it lies.

C a one-stroke penalty and must cancel the stroke and replace the ball.

D a two-stroke penalty.

The answer is B - Rule 18-2b. Even though A did nothing to cause his ball to move, once a player as addressed the ball, and the ball subsequently moves, the player is deemed to have moved the ball and incurs a one-stroke penalty and must replace the ball unless the movement of the ball occurs after the player has begun his swing and he does not discontinue his swing. In that case, the ball is played as it lies.

September 23, 2003

Which of the following is FALSE?
A dropped ball shall be re-dropped without penalty if it:

A	rolls and comes to rest in a hazard
B	rolls and comes to rest outside of a hazard
C	rolls and comes to rest on a putting green
D	rolls and comes to rest outside of the dropping area within two club lengths from where it first struck a part of the course (no nearer the hole)

The answer is D - Rule 20-2c. This is a Rule that is not widely known or understood. Many people think that when they measure the area within which to drop a ball (whether it be one club-length for free relief or two club-lengths in a penalty situation) that the ball must come to rest within that area when it is dropped. Rule 20-2c specifically covers this. When taking a drop, the ball is allowed to roll & come to rest up to two club-lengths from where it first struck a part of the course; providing 1) it first struck the course within the prescribed dropping area and 2) has not rolled closer to the hole or 3) rolled into any of the other conditions requiring a re-drop without penalty.

This can be used to your advantage if you are taking a drop on sloping ground in the rough and a flatter lie in the fairway is available within that two club-length range.....A smart player will drop the ball as closely as possible to the end of the "dropping area closest to the better lie" in the hopes that the ball will land within that area and then roll down the slope into the better lie within two club-lengths of where it first struck the course! There is nothing "illegal" about this and there is nothing in the Rules that differentiates between fairway and rough. Both fairway and rough are "through the green". Many people think that if they drop in the rough, the ball must remain in the rough or vice-versa with the fairway (that's only when you play in Scrambles!!!)

But remember! The same holds true if you drop your ball on the fairway within the prescribed area and it rolls no more than two club-lengths into an area of rough or gnarly ground. The ball is in play! So the key here is knowing how to take a good drop!! It can work to your advantage or to your disadvantage!!

September 15, 2003

Which of the following is NOT a loose impediment?

A	Banana Skin
B	Ant hill
C	Embedded acorn
D	Clod of earth

The answer is C - Decision 23/9 An acorn is not a loose impediment if it is solidly embedded - see definition of "Loose Impediments". Basically, if you can easily remove the acorn with a flick of a finger, it is not deemed to be solidly embedded. If it requires a tool, or digging to remove the acorn, then it is considered to be solidly embedded. Note: If you can easily remove the acorn and it leaves behind a small depression, you are NOT allowed to fix that depression even if the acorn was on the putting green. (Rule 16-1a)

Ant hills and clods of earth - Even though loose sand and soil are loose impediments on the putting green only, you are entitled to remove an ant hill under Rule 23-1. A clod of earth is not loose soil.

September 2, 2003

Which of the following would not be considered a "dangerous situation" from which a player may take relief without penalty?

A	ball lying near an alligator sunning on the bank of a pond or stream.
B	ball lying in or near poison ivy, cacti or stinging nettle.
C	ball lying near a bees nest.
D	ball lying in or near a mound of fire ants.

The answer is B - Decisions 1-4/10; 1-4/11 There really is no particular rule that contemplates a "dangerous situation". It would be unreasonable to expect a player to play from dangerous situations such as an alligator, rattlesnake, bees or fire ants. It would also be unfair to require the player to incur a penalty under Rule 26 (Water Hazard) or Rule 28 (Ball Unplayable). In equity (Rule 1-4) the player would be allowed an additional option of dropping a ball without penalty on the nearest spot not nearer the hole which is not dangerous.

Poison ivy, cacti or stinging nettles would not be considered a dangerous situation. These are conditions that are normally encountered on a golf course. Unpleasant lies are a common occurrence which players much accept.

August 25, 2003

A serious breach of playing from a wrong place occurs when a competitor:

A	plays a wrong ball.
B	plays from outside the teeing ground when starting a hole.
C	cancels and replays a putt that was deflected by a fellow-competitor's caddie
D	drops and plays a ball on the green side of a water hazard (i.e., a lake, 50 yards across) when proceeding under Rule 26-1b

The answer is D - Decision 20-7b/0.5

August 11, 2003

The player's tee shot comes to rest just within the margins of a lateral water hazard but not in the water. The player makes a stroke at the ball and it dribbles down the bank into the water and cannot be played. He drops another ball on the bank in the lateral water hazard where he last played. He decides not to play again from that lie and drops a different, new ball within two club-lengths of the spot where his original ball last crossed the margin of the hazard and plays from there. How many penalty strokes has the player incurred?

A	One
B	Two
C	Three
D	Four

The answer is B - Rule 26-2; Decision 26-2/1

July 21, 2003

A player's ball is believed to be in a bunker covered with leaves. The player probes for the ball with a club which touches the ground in the bunker. What is the ruling?

A	No penalty.
B	One Stroke.
C	Two Strokes.
D	Loss of Hole.

The answer is A - Decision 12-1/4 There is no penalty. Rule 12-1 specifically authorizes touching ground in the hazard while probing. Such permission overrides any prohibitions in Rule 13-4.

July 14, 2003

In a stroke play competition, a player plays a Titleist Pro-V, number 1, from tee to green. Upon arriving at the green, the player marks the ball, cleans it and puts it in his pocket until it's his turn to putt. He putts out, arrives at the next tee and looks at the ball in his hand and it's a Titleist Pro-V, number 3. What is the ruling?

A	Two stroke penalty for playing a wrong ball and the player must return to the green, replace the ball and putt out with the original ball or else he is disqualified.
B	Two stroke penalty for incorrectly substituting a ball, and the player must return to the green, replace the ball and putt out with the original ball or else he is disqualified.
C	Two stroke penalty for incorrectly substituting a ball. No need to correct the error.
D	No penalty.

The answer is C - Rule 15-1; Definition of Wrong Ball; In this particular case, the player did not play a wrong ball. The player did, however, substitute a ball when he was not entitled to. At this point the incorrectly substituted ball becomes the ball in play and the player incurs a penalty of two strokes, no need to correct the error.

Why doesn't the player have to correct his mistake in this situation like he would if he had played a wrong ball? Consider this scenario - a player arrives at a green, marks his ball and tosses it to his caddie to clean. The caddie, paying no attention, misses the catch and the ball flies into a deep pond behind the green. If the player had to play out with the original ball, he wouldn't be able to finish the hole if he couldn't retrieve the ball from the pond. Therefore, he "can" substitute a ball, even though he isn't allowed to by the Rules and finish out the hole with a two stroke penalty.

July 7, 2003

A player replaces his ball on the putting green but does not remove his ball-maker. He walks over to the other side of the hole to line up his putt. Subsequently, the ball moves and rolls to a new position. What should the player do?

A	There is no penalty and the ball is played as it lies.
B	There is no penalty and the player must replace the ball. Since the ball marker was still marking the ball, the ball was not in play.
C	The player receives a one stroke penalty for causing his ball to move and must play the ball as it lies.
D	The player receives a one stroke penalty for causing his ball to move and must replace the ball.

The answer is A - Decision 20-4/1. Under Rule 20-4, a ball is in play once it has been replaced, whether or not the object used to mark its position has been removed. Therefore, the ball was in play as soon as it was replaced even though the marker was still behind the ball. Since the player did nothing to cause the ball to move, the ball must be played from the new position without penalty. See also Decision 18-1/12.

July 1, 2003

In stroke play, a competitor's ball in a hazard moves due to his removal of a loose impediment in the hazard. What penalty, if any does the competitor incur for breach of 18-2a?

A	None, and he must replace the ball, with a two-stroke penalty for breach of Rule 13-4.
B	One stroke, and he must replace the ball but with no additional penalty under Rule 13-4.
C	One stroke, and he must replace the ball, plus an additional two strokes under Rule 13-4.
D	One stroke, and he must play the ball as it lies, plus an additional two strokes under Rule 13-4.

The answer is C - Decision 13-4/15. This player was unlucky! When the player removed the loose impediment in the hazard, he incurred a two stroke penalty under Rule 13-4c. In addition, because the ball moved, he incurred an additional penalty under Rule 18-2a and the ball must be replaced (Rule 18-2a). He received a total penalty of three strokes. If he failed to replace the ball, he would have incurred an additional penalty of 1 stroke under Rule 18-2a (general breach of the Rule; see also, 20-7b) for a total of 4 penalty strokes!!!!!

June 24, 2003

In stroke play, a competitor changes balls on the putting green, holes out with the substituted ball, and plays from the next tee. The correct ruling is that the competitor:

A	incurs a one-stroke penalty and is not required to correct the error.
B	incurs a two-stroke penalty and is not required to correct the error.
C	incurs a two-stroke penalty and must correct the error.
D	is disqualified for playing a wrong ball and failing to correct the error before playing from the next tee.

The answer is B - Rule 15-1. When a player substitutes another ball when not permitted to by any Rule, that ball is not a wrong ball; it becomes the ball in play and, if the error is not corrected as provided in Rule 20-6, the player incurs a loss of hole penalty in match play or two strokes in stroke play. Rule 20-6 would allow the the player, if he realized his mistake before making any stroke at the ball, to replace his original ball and hole out without penalty.

June 16, 2003

In match play, a player accidentally moves his ball while searching for it in ground under repair. The correct ruling is that the player:

A	incurs a one-stroke penalty, and must replace the ball.
B	incurs a one-stroke penalty, and may play the ball as it lies.
C	incurs no penalty, but must either replace the ball or invoke the abnormal ground condition Rule.
D	incurs no penalty, but must replace the ball and then decide whether to invoke the ground under repair Rule.

The answer is C - Rule 12-1

June 10, 2003

A player finds both his ball and another ball in the same area. Both balls are the same brand and number and neither one has identification marks on it. The player is unsure which ball is his. How should he proceed?

A	The player may play both balls in and shall report the facts to the Committee before turning in his scorecard unless he scores the same with both balls.
B	Since the player cannot identify which ball is his, he must play one of the balls in, taking a penalty stroke for a lost ball.
C	The player should play only one of the balls in without penalty since it is reasonable to assume that one of the two balls is his.
D	The player must proceed under the lost ball rule - stroke and distance - and put another ball into play at the spot where he hit the previous shot.

The answer is D - Definition of Lost Ball, Decision 12-2/1 and Decision 27/10. Since the player could not identify either ball as his, his ball was deemed to be lost even though there were two balls in plain sight - see Definition of "Lost Ball". This situation underlines the advisability of the player putting an identification mark on his ball! If the player proceeded under any of the options other than stroke and distance, the player would then be playing a wrong ball, and would be disqualified if not correcting that error prior to teeing off the next tee.

May 27, 2003

Which of the following may the player do without penalty?

A	Before replacing his ball on a putting green, clean it and remove shavings created by new clubface grooves from the golf ball cover, using fingernail clippers.
B	Clean a golf ball with salve that prevents the ball from slicing, then put it in play.
C	Replace a ball in play because it has internal damage.
D	Use an X-out ball in a competition where the Committee has adopted the condition that the ball the player uses must be named on the current List of Conforming Golf Balls.

The answer is A - Rule 5, Decisions 5-1/4, 5-3/1.

May 19, 2003

Which of the following is FALSE?

A	A player may have the flagstick attended for a stroke with his putter from through the green.
B	A player may have the flagstick attended for a stroke with any club from through the green.
C	A player incurs no penalty if his ball played from a bunker strikes the flagstick that he had asked be attended.
D	A player may have the flagstick held several feet directly about the hole as he plays a pitch shot from a low spot.

The answer is C - Rule 17-1, Rule 17-3. A player may have a flagstick attended for any shot from anywhere on the golf course. However, the players' ball must not strike the attended flagstick or the person attending the flagstick or he will incur a penalty of two strokes (and the ball shall be played where it lies). It is a common misconception that the flagstick may only be attended for a shot from the putting green - not so!

May 12, 2003

On the putting green, a competitor addressed his ball. Distracted, he stepped away from the ball, marked its position, lifted it and replaced it. Before he addressed the ball again, gravity caused it to move. He played the ball from the new position. what penalty, if any, does the competitor incur?

A	One stroke and he must replace the ball.
B	Two strokes and he must play the ball as it lies.
C	Two strokes and he must replace the ball.
D	None.

The answer is D - Decision 18-2b/8. Although the player had addressed the ball, once he lifted it again, he was no longer considered to have "addressed" it and the presumption inherent in the Rule that the act of addressing the ball caused the ball to move is no longer valid. Had he addressed the ball a second time, however, the opposite would be true and he would have incurred a 1 stroke penalty and be required to replace the ball.

April 29, 2003

In taking relief from a cart path, Player A borrows a club from a fellow-competitor to measure a club-length. He drops within that one club-length and plays the ball.
Player A:

A	incurs no penalty if the spot on which the ball was dropped could have been reached with one of his own clubs.
B	incurs a penalty of one stroke for failing to follow the correct procedure.
C	incurs the general penalty for dropping and playing from a wrong place.
D	is disqualified.

The answer is A - Decision 20/2. For the purpose of measuring the player should use any club he has selected for the round (Rule 4-4). If a player borrows a club to measure with, drops the ball within that area and plays it, he incurs no penalty if the spot on which he dropped the ball could have been reached with one of the player's own clubs selected for the round. If he could not have reached that spot by measuring with one of his own clubs, he incurs the penalty under the applicable Rule for playing from a wrong place (see Rule 20-7).

April 22, 2003

In stroke play, A's ball is on the putting green and B's ball is just short of the putting green. Which one of the following is true?

A	C, a fellow-competitor, may require A to lift his (A's) ball if C considers that the ball might interfere with B's play.
B	If asked by B to lift his ball, A may clean it when he does so.
C	C may lift A's ball while B's ball is in motion if he believes B's ball might strike it.
D	A is not required to lift his ball if B asks him to do so.

The answer is B - Rule 22.

March 7, 2003

Which one of the following is an example of "advice" in breach of Rule 8-1?

A	Inquiring as to the accuracy of a distance marker.
B	Suggesting that a fellow-competitor declare his ball unplayable.
C	Asking another competitor for golf instruction during a suspension of play.
D	Seeking the whereabouts of an opponent's golf ball.

The answer is B - Decisions 8-1/3, 8-1/5, 8-1/16, 8-1/20. Asking about the accuracy of a distance marker is ok - it's considered public information. Asking for golf instruction during a suspension of play is perfectly all right - the restriction for asking for advice is only during the stipulated round. A player has every right to know the whereabouts of his opponent's golf ball - it could influence how he might play his next shot. However, suggesting that a fellow-competitor declare his ball unplayable is pretty much the same as telling the player how he should play his next shot.

February 28, 2003

Which one of the following is an immovable obstruction?

A	Tee-marker
B	Out of bounds stake
C	Tree indicating 150 yards to the putting green
D	Bridge over a stream (water hazard)

The answer is D - Definition of "Obstructions". A tee marker is deemed to be "fixed" prior to the first stroke made with any ball from the teeing ground. An out of bounds stake is deemed to be fixed. A tree is part of the course. A bridge over a stream, while in the water hazard, is an immovable obstruction. This means that although the player does not get relief from immovable obstructions when his ball lies in the water hazard, he may ground his club on the obstruction to play the shot.

February 21, 2003

Which one of the following statements is TRUE?

A	When a ball is lost in casual water, the player may, without penalty, play his next stroke from where the previous stroke was played.
B	Snow and natural ice are either casual water or loose impediments, at the option of the player.
C	A player's ball is embedded in its own pitch-mark in the fairway and the pitch-mark is filled with casual water. When taking relief, the player must proceed under Rule 25-2.
D	Dew and frost are either casual water or loose impediments, at the option of the player.

The answer is B - Definition of "Casual Water" or "Loose Impediments"; Rule 25-1c; Decision 25/3.

January 30, 2003

In Stroke Play, A's ball lies near the hole in a position to assist B, whose ball lies off the green. Player A states his intention to lift his ball under Rule 22. However, B plays before A has an opportunity to lift, and B's ball strikes A's ball. What is the ruling?

A	A receives a two stroke penalty.
B	B receives a two stroke penalty.
C	No penalty for either player.
D	B is disqualified under Rule 3-4.

The answer is D - Decision 3-4/1. Under Rule 22, A has the right to lift his ball if he thinks that his ball might assist any other player. Since B did not give A the opportunity to lift his ball even though A stated that he wished to lift it, B would be disqualified under Rule 3-4 for refusal to comply with a Rule affecting the rights of another competitor.

January 4, 2003

In a match, two players agree in advance to concede all puts within a specified length. What is the ruling?

A	No penalty - putts may be conceded in match play.
B	Each player would incur a loss of hole penalty; hence the hole is halved.
C	Both players are disqualified.
D	Both players would receive a two stroke penalty.

The answer is C - Decision 1-3/2. Both players would be disqualified since they agreed to exclude the operation of Rule 1-1 and should be disqualified under Rule 1-3. In match play, under Rule 2-4, the only stroke that may be conceded is the "next stroke". Strokes cannot be conceded in advance.