Golf Rules Q & A - 51 to 60

QUESTION 51:
The golfers in a foursome begin searching for one member's ball. As they begin their search, the group behind them arrives on the tee.

According to the etiquette rules in Section One of the Rules of Golf, what should the searching foursome do?

ANSWER 51:
The group decided to search for the ball for the allotted five minutes and resume play.

In doing so, although the Rules allow five minutes for searching, they violated etiquette. As soon as it was apparent the ball would not be easily located, rules of etiquette dictate they should have signaled for the group behind them to play through.

After doing so, they should have resumed play after the group had passed and were out of reach.


QUESTION 52:
As Susan struck her approach shot on the second hole of her round, she felt the club head of her six-iron twist.
Upon examination, she found that the club head had come loose from the shaft. As an amateur clubmaker, she had some quick-drying epoxy in her golf bag and used it to repair her club, which she used later in the round.

After using the repaired club, had she committed a rules infraction?

ANSWER 52:
According to Rule 4-3(a)(ii), a club damaged in the normal course of play, as in Susan's case, can be repaired during the round providing there is no undue delay in play. Susan could also have opted to replace her six-iron with any club, as it was obviously unfit for play.

So, Susan acted within the Rules.


QUESTION 53:
During a stroke play event, Jim asks Bill to take the honor from the tee on the third hole of the round because he is unsure of how to play the shot.

Has either player committed a Rules infraction?


Answer 53:
According to Rule 10-2(c), there is no penalty for simply playing out of turn; however, if competitors agree to do so in order to give one of them an advantage, the players are disqualified.

Since Jim is seeking an advantage, however innocently, and Bill agreed to his request, they are both disqualified.


Question 54:
During a match play event, upon arriving at the teeing ground, Player A has the honor.
He tees his ball at least three club-lengths behind the tee markers and makes his shot.
Player B points out to Player A that his ball was played from outside the established teeing ground.

What should the outcome of Player A's actions be?

ANSWER 54:
According to Rule 11-4, in a match play event, there is no penalty, but the opponent (Player B) may require the player A to cancel his shot and re-tee from within the teeing ground.

However, had it been a stroke play competition player A would have incurred a two stroke penalty for playing outside of the teeing ground and must then play a ball from within the teeing ground to avoid disqualification for having played from the wrong place.


QUESTION 55:
A player believes his ball has come to rest in a green-side bunker and is almost completely covered with sand.
As a result, the player cannot be certain of the identity of his ball.

How should he proceed within the rules?

ANSWER 55:
According to Rule 12-1, the player may, without penalty, remove as much sand as necessary to enable identification of the ball. If too much sand is moved in the identification of the ball then this must be replaced.

Since 1st January 2008, if a player cannot identify his ball in a bunker without lifting it he may follow the procedure in Rule 12-2.

Before lifting the ball he must announce his intention to his opponent, or fellow competitor, and mark the position of the ball. He may then lift the ball and identify it, provided that he gives his opponent or fellow competitor an opportunity to observe the lifting and replacement.

The ball must not be cleaned beyond the extent necessary for identification.


QUESTION 56:
A player has elected to play from within a water hazard. After he makes the stroke, the ball came out of the hazard and came to rest in a second water hazard.
He then marked where he took his shot, retrieved his ball from the second hazard and dropped his ball at the original spot.
Has the player proceeded within the Rules?

ANSWER 56:
The player has acted within the rules.

The player could have played the ball as it lay in the second water hazard or, according to Rule 26-2 a. (i), under penalty of one stroke, he could proceed under rule 26-1 a, and drop a ball at the point where he last played (which is what he elected to do).

He could also, according to Rule 26-2 a. (ii), under penalty of one stroke proceed under rule
26-1 b, and have dropped a ball behind the second hazard on a line extending from the hole through the last place that the ball crossed the margin of the second water hazard.

Obviously rule 26-2 a provides various other alternative courses of action for the player to take!


QUESTION 57:
While playing a hole, a player hits a fantastic approach shot that strikes an overhead power line in it's descent.
The ball deflected off the power line and onto the green. The local rule for such an occurrence stated that if a ball strikes an overhead power line, the player must replay the shot without penalty.
In this instance, the striking the power line did not adversely impact the shot and the player played his ball as it lay.

Is a ruling required here?

ANSWER 57:
Due to his decision to play the ball, a ruling is needed. Rule 33-8 allows for local rules committees to establish Local Rules for abnormal conditions if they are consistent with the policies set forth in Appendix I of the Rules of Golf.

A consistent rule for this instance required the player to replay his shot, even though striking the power line did not adversely affect his shot.

He did not have the option to play the original ball.

Therefore he incurred a penalty of two strokes for breaking the Local Rule and, if he did not play the shot again from where he last played, before teeing off at the next hole, the Committee would have to decide whether to disqualify him for playing from the wrong place.


QUESTION 58:
Shortly after a heavy rain, a player makes a stroke and her ball comes to rest at the base of a tree. Being right-handed, she doesn't have a shot due to the location of her ball unless she makes a left-handed shot.
As she takes her left-handed stance, she realizes she is standing in casual water, an abnormal ground condition.
She informs her competitors that she will be taking a free drop because of the ground condition.

Is she correct?


ANSWER 58:
In this instance, the player was correct.
Rule 25-1 states that interference by an abnormal ground condition occurs when either the ball or the player's stance is impacted by the condition.
Also, once she has taken relief from the casual water she may then play her next shot with either a right-handed or left-handed stance.


QUESTION 59:
According to the Definitions section of the Rules of Golf, what type of match pits one golfer against two others, each person playing their own ball?

In this match-play competition, each golfer has two simultaneous matches.

ANSWER 59:
Sort of a tricky question, but the answer is Three Ball Match Play.


QUESTION 60:
After a player makes a stroke at his ball in a bunker, the ball advances, but it doesn't make it out of the bunker. The player then uses a rake to repair the sand around his original stance and stroke.

Has he committed a rules infraction?

ANSWER 60:
Although Rule 13-4 prohibits touching of the ground inside a hazard, Exception #2 to the Rule allows for smoothing of the sand by a player or caddie provided that nothing is done that improves the lie of the ball or the play of the hole.

However, note that if the player failed to extricate his ball from the first bunker with his first stroke and had smoothed his footprints while his ball still lay in that bunker, he would have incurred a penalty if his smoothing had improved his lie with respect to his next stroke.