Golf Rules Q & A - 41 to 50

Question 41:
Jim and Tom are on the 12th tee. While Tom is preparing to make his tee shot, he uses his driver to tap down an uneven surface behind where his ball is teed, which would improve his take away.
Jim tells him that he has incurred a penalty.

How should Tom respond?

Answer 41:
Tom should respond by stating that he has not violated the rules because, according to Rule 13-2, eliminating surface irregularities that may improve stance or swing on the teeing ground is allowed.


Question 42:
A golfer's shot came to rest inside a bunker and just behind a partially sand-covered golf glove dropped by a previous player of the hole.

Is he allowed to remove the glove since it will hinder his shot?

ANSWER 42:
A golf glove is artificial and therefore falls within the definition of an obstruction (i.e. not a loose impediment). All movable obstructions can be removed, without penalty, anywhere on the course. If the ball moves during the removal of the obstruction it must be replaced and there is no penalty.


Question 43:
Is a penalty incurred when a player, after marking his ball on the green, inadvertently places another ball on the mark and subsequently putts that ball?


ANSWER 43:
Unfortunately, a penalty of two strokes in stroke play and loss of hole in match play is incurred. The player would have substituted a ball when not permitted to do so (as with a lost ball or ball hit out of bounds).

According to Rule 15-2, the second ball would become the ball in play and the penalty ascribed by the applicable rule would be incurred.


Question 44:
Fuzzy struck his 25-foot putt on the 15th hole and watched it roll to the lip of the cup without falling inside.
As most of the ball appeared to be overhanging the lip, he surmised that it must be about to fall in.
After a few seconds, he slowly strolled toward the hole and, once he arrived there, waited a few more seconds before the putt eventually fell into the hole for a birdie.

Did Fuzzy do anything in violation of the rules?

Answer 44:
Fuzzy appears to have acted within Rule 16-2, which states, the player is allowed enough time to reach the hole without unreasonable delay, and an additional ten seconds to determine if the ball is at rest.
He did not unreasonably delay play in approaching the ball and he apparently waited less than 10 seconds after arriving at the hole.
His birdie should stand.


Question 45:
Bill has addressed his ball just off the 16th green and is about to chip. At that moment, Ted walks up and attends the flag. After making his stroke, the ball hits the flagstick being held by Ted.

What should be the ruling in this case?

Answer 45:
According to Rule 17-3, the player's ball must not strike the flagstick when it is being attended, removed or held up, the person attending the flagstick, or the unattended flagstick when a putt has been made on the green.

There is an exception.

When the flagstick is attended without the player's authority, the player attending the flagstick incurs the penalty under Rule 17-2, which is loss of the hole in match play and two strokes in stroke play.

Question 46:
On the 7th hole, Bill's ball came to rest on a dirt cast obviously made by a mole.
He was entitled to free relief from the mound, as a cast or runway made by a burrowing animal is considered an abnormal ground condition.
On the 17th hole, his ball came to rest in the rough and inside a hole which was most likely dug by a dog, cat or some other such animal of the approximate size.

What is the ruling in that instance?


Answer 46:
The definition to "abnormal ground condition" is rather narrow. It is limited to casual water, ground under repair or hole, cast or runway on the course made by a burrowing animal, reptile or bird.

A "burrowing animal" is defined in the Rules as an animal that makes a hole for habitation or shelter, such as a rabbit, mole, groundhog, gopher or salamander.

Since none of those animals would likely have made such a hole, he is not entitled to free relief.


Question 47:
After fully addressing the ball on the putting green, John makes an inadvertent strike of the ball.
It moves forward only slightly and, having been resting in a ball-mark, rolls back to its original position.

Does the inadvertent stroke count toward John's score?

Answer 47:
According to the Rules definition of "moved," if the ball leaves it's original position and comes to rest in another place, it is deemed to have moved.

In John's case it did not move and so he did not incur a penalty for the inadvertent strike of the ball.


Question 48:
Tom, Jim, Rick and Bill are playing a hotly contested stroke play round. As Jim is leading him by three shots, while waiting for the green to clear, Tom picks up Jim's ball in the fairway to inspect it.

How should Jim proceed after noticing what Tom had done?

Answer 48:
Under Rule 18-4 there is no penalty for a fellow competitor moving another competitor's ball.
Jim should replace his ball where it lay before Tom picked it up.


Question 49:
While playing an approach shot, a player makes his stroke and his ball comes to rest in the back of a golf course repair vehicle approximately 50 yards from the green.
The driver does not stop.
How must the golfer proceed?

ANSWER 49:
According to Rule 19-1, if a ball in motion comes to rest on a moving object, the player must, without penalty, drop the ball as near as possible to the spot where the outside agency was when the ball came to rest on it.


Question 50:
After making an attempt at placing a ball on a steep greenside hill, Charlie's ball will not stay on the spot.
After trying a second time, it rolls to the bottom of the hill. Charlie, seeing no other way to proceed, believes he must play the ball as it lies.
How should he proceed?

ANSWER 50:
Under Rule 20-3d, if Charlie cannot get to his ball to stay at the place where the Rules require him to place it (in this case on the steep greenside hill) he must place it at the nearest spot where it can be placed at rest that is not nearer the hole and not in a hazard.