Golf Rules Q & A - 21 to 30

QUESTION 21:
During a stroke play event, Dan asks Charlie where the flagstick is located on the upcoming green. Bill, another member of the foursome, took exception to Dan's question, believing his question to be a rules violation.

Is Bill correct?

ANSWER 21:
Bill needs to be certain of the Rules before questioning a fellow competitor. The Rules define "advice" as any counsel that could influence a player in determining his play.

Information on the Rules or on matters of public information, such flagstick position, is not within the definition of "advice".


QUESTION 22:
Player A witnessed a rules breach by Player B, his opponent in match play, during a round
After completion of the round, Player A went to the rules committee to inform them of the violation and seek a ruling.
Did Player A proceed correctly to receive a ruling on the violation?

ANSWER 22:
Player A will get nothing but "I'm sorry, the Rules of Golf were not followed in your reporting of the violation".
According to Rule 2-5, the rules committee can only consider a claim if the reporting player has informed his opponent that he/she is making the claim, the facts of the claim, and his desire for a ruling.
The claim must be made before any player in the match plays from the next teeing ground or, if the last hole, before all players have left the final green.

Player A missed several steps.


QUESTION 23:
In preparing for his afternoon match, Bill tries out a new driver on the practice range before heading for the first tee.
After his practice session, he leaves the new driver in his bag and forgets to take it out before he begins play in his match. His problem is that the addition of the new driver leaves him with 15 clubs in his bag (Rule 4-4(a) states a maximum of 14).
He discovered and reported his violation after completing the first hole, which he won.

What is his penalty?

ANSWER 23:
As Bill was involved in a match play event, he must deduct one hole for each hole on which the breach occurred; with a maximum deduction in each round of two holes. As the violation was discovered after the first hole, which he won, the match stands at all square as they head to the second teeing ground.

In stroke play, the penalty is two strokes for each hole on which the violation occurred, with a maximum of four strokes.


QUESTION 24:
During a round, Ernie lips out a short birdie putt. As he is walking to the next tee, he angrily smacks his putter on the ground, which slightly bent the toe of the putter head upward. The putter was still usable and not otherwise damaged.

How must Ernie proceed?

ANSWER 24:
Unfortunately, Ernie should have kept his cool.
Rule 4-3 states that where a club is damaged, other than in normal course of play, and its playing characteristics are changed, as in Ernie's situation, it must be removed from play.
Looks like the driver is his next "putter" option.


QUESTION 25:
Julie and Kim both hit their shots into a bunker. Upon arriving at their next shots, Julie steps into the bunker and proceeds to hit her shot.
As she exits the bunker, she sees what she believed to be Kim's ball and realized it was her own.
She had hit the wrong ball.
What is her penalty, if any?

ANSWER 25:
As from 1st January 2008 a player is now allowed to lift their ball in a bunker or water hazard for identification purposes. There is a consequential change to Rule 15-3, which introduces a penalty for playing the wrong ball in these circumstances. Therefore Julie is penalised two strokes for playing a wrong ball and must then play her own ball out of the bunker.
Kim must replace her ball at the place where it was played from in the bunker and is entitled to restore her original lie as nearly as possible.


QUESTION 26:
After teeing-off on a hole, a player notices that his ball did not sound right leaving the clubface. Upon reaching his next shot, he found that the ball had been cracked.

Does he have any options for proceeding?

ANSWER 26:
Rule 5-3 states that a ball is unfit for play if it is cracked, cut, or out of shape.

The player may lift the ball, without penalty, to determine whether it is unfit. However, before lifting it the player must announce his intention to his opponent or fellow competitor and mark the position of his ball. If it is agreed that the ball is unfit for play then he can substitute another ball, placing it on the spot where the original ball lay.


Question 27:
During a competitive round, Paul arrives for his tee-time five minutes late, within the time limit allowed by the local rules committee to prevent disqualification, but incurring loss of the first hole.
His friend and fellow competitor in the match, Chip, quietly tells Paul he will not assess any penalty, as the match only affects those two players.

Is there anything wrong with this?

ANSWER 27:
Rule 6-3 requires that a player must start at the time established or be disqualified.

Local rules can modify the rule somewhat, as in this situation. However, if Chip and Paul proceed by not assessing the penalty to Paul, they would both be disqualified for violation of Rule 1-3, for agreeing to waive a rule.


QUESTION 28:
While playing the 7th hole, Dave hits his drive towards the 8th green. As he approaches the green, he finds that his ball is lying atop the fringe, with a portion of the ball overhanging the green.
The ball is so positioned that Dave would have to take his stance on the green.
As Dave begins to mark and lift his ball, he tells a fellow competitor that he is entitled to a free drop because his ball is lying on a wrong green.

What should the ruling be in this case?


ANSWER 28:
First, interference by a wrong putting green is defined in Rule 25-3(a) as when a ball is on the wrong putting green.
Interference to a golfer's stance or the area of the intended swing is not considered interference under Rule 25-3.
If a player's ball is lying on a wrong green, the ball must be dropped within one club length of the nearest point of relief, not nearer the hole.
In Dave's case, he has made one crucial mistake.
According to the definition of "putting green," a ball is considered to be on the green when it touches any part of it.
In this case, Dave's ball was "sitting atop the fringe," merely overhanging and not touching the green.
Simply because his stance would be taken on the green, the ball must be played as it lies.
As he has marked and lifted a ball in play, according to Rule 18 (Ball at Rest Moved), he incurs a penalty of one stroke.

That was a tough one.


QUESTION 29:
As a player is addressing the ball on the teeing ground, and is "waggling" his driver, he inadvertently knocks the ball off the tee with the club.

Does the stroke count and must he play the ball as it lies? Has he incurred a penalty? Or may he re-tee the ball without counting a stroke or receiving a penalty?

ANSWER 29:
According to Rule 11-3, if a ball not in play falls off a tee or is knocked off a tee by the player in addressing it, it may be re-teed without penalty.

So, the player simply should pick up the ball and replace it on the tee without penalty, as if it had never happened.


QUESTION 30:
While searching for a ball in some high weeds, a player sees what ultimately proves to be his ball.
In determining whether it is his ball he pushes the weeds away. As he does so, the ball drops several inches from its resting position.

Has a rules infraction occurred?

ANSWER 30:
In these circumstances when the player accidentally caused his ball to move during search outside of a hazard he incurred a penalty of one stroke and before making another stroke, the ball must be replaced as closely as possible to the spot and lie that it occupied prior to the movement.

If another player had caused the ball to move while searching for it there would be no penalty and the ball must be replaced.

Bro NG, for Question 24, what if Ernie lost his cool and throw his putter into the pond and nowhere to be found? Or what if his putter is 'lost'? What is his recourse? Thanks.

Bro S2S, if putter lost, then it cannot be replaced. His next putter would be the "Driver"?

Thanks for the info....