Forum: Rules Of Golf

Was playing in club championship last Sunday and one player's ball was very close to the white stake, he ask if he could remove the stake and we said no, his ball was in bound but in tall grass ( too much rain and too much trim to do on the course), he proceed to punch the ball out, in his first...

Brought up during today's round. Stroke Play Tournament. With all the rain we have had a small portion of the sod on a putting green has separated from the subsoil and an air bubble has been created under the surface. Your ball happens to come to rest on the mound/bubble that was formed. ...

Player on a 'strange' course pulls his drive 200+ yards round a dogleg. His FC (a member of the club) makes no comment. When the player reaches the scene he realises his ball is OB. He turns to his FC showing his irritation with his failure to warn him of the problem round the corner. His FC...

In a match between Player A and B, during play of the first hole A notices that B has 15 clubs in his bag. A decides not to say anything and eventually loses the first hole. During play of the second hole, B realizes that he has 15 clubs and removes one declaring it out of play. B wins the second...

For those who may not have already read this in a certain regional publication, Ottawa's Dean Ryan has been invited to represent the RCGA at one of the world's most prestigious and exclusive tournaments, The Masters. He will be among the game's rules elite assigned to maintain "law & order" among...

This happened today but want to see what people think the player is lying and where he's to hit his shot from. Tee shot goes right into lateral water hazard (LWH) but is playable from within the hazard. Player hits ball out of hazard with the ball travelling over the water towards the fairway...

I was watching a video of Outside the Ropes with Ian Poulter. His most embarrassing moment was at Players Championship when he accidently threw his ball in the lake. Any penalty ? I watched the video many times and I can't see if there was a ball mark before he threw his ball.

Need clarification on how to proceed in the following situation: (stroke play) Two playing partners are in a greenside bunker on a par 3. Both playing same type of ball but different numbers and no other identifiable markings (how do you mark your Titleist etc...) Player furthest away hits...

I know this should probably go in the ruling section, but I'm also looking for each of your thinking when re-hitting the dreaded tee shot that you muffed into the woods. Do you have the choice of a re-hit or a drop, regardless of the hole? A couple scenarios to consider... 1) Teeing off on...

What is the rule on entering 7 holes of an unfinished 18 hole round.

What is the ruling for a ball stuck in the green. Today My ball got stuck approx 1/2 the ball was stuck in the green. What is the rule for this? I lifted my ball tried fixing the divot and placed the ball over the divot but the divot caused my ball to bounce and ended up being a horrible...

The third round of The Players was delayed yesterday to be completed this morning. My understanding is that since this remains a stipulated round, the players must continue to use the same clubs with which they began that round. Is that so?

In a scramble, players generally get to place their ball within one club length (no nearer the hole) from where it comes to rest. The situation I'm wondering about: Cart path down the the left side of a hole with woods immediately to the right of the cart path. The ball comes to rest on the...

In all probability, use of the GPS app would be contrary to the Rules of golf due to other apps and/or software installed on the device (such as level indication).

Playing match play Men's senior intersectional at Eagle Creek. Par 3 8th hole. I am on the right side just inside the bush line. I have a stick I can't move behind the ball. When I go to make my swing I hit a branch. (not sure how that happened because I don't remember a branch being a problem...

This is a bit convoluted. Our cart path takes a 90 degree bend to the right then a quick 90 degree left. It follows a red staked hazard line on the right side. Now, at the first bend there is a worn out area where people drive off the cart path. It is just dirt. It is used as an exit point...

I'll use Equinelle #1 and 8 as examples. Both have "drop zones" If i'm teeing off from the tips on Equinelle on number 1 and either hit it in the water left or push a big drive OB up the right side over the bunkers can i decide to use the drop zone in either of these instances hitting 3? I've...

Something funny for sunday :) My son has learned to make Happy Gilmore shot to get the ball little bit longer. Now in second shot ball lies on top of tight rough and he decides to use Happy shot with driver. Here is video of that shot (video made 1.3. 2014 in Finland, NO SNOW!)...

My son has started a rules questioning on instagram with pictures. His user name is @golfrules4u , pretty cool idea.

So here is the scenario. You hit your ball on a par 3 and it hits the bank and rolls down into a red-staked hazard. Crossed the margin. Instead of taking a drop, you decide you can play the ball. Take your swing and hit the ball but don't advance it much and it is now in a much worse position. Now...

Playing Equinelle hole number 8. Pin in back. Player is in the sand short to the right of the green. Air mails the green with bunker shot and it lands in the water over the back of the green on the fly. (Tough shot) The player took a drop just inside the red stake. I am under the understanding...

Lost in the shuffle to the new board was this question: On June 11, at the C.P.G.A. Ottawa zone tournament at Brockville Golf Club, I had this ruling: A player hit his ball over the 18th green into some long rough. Some of the spectators assisted in searching for the ball. One of the...

Interesting question from today's Cisco Junior Tournament at Kingsway. These are the circumstances exactly as decribed to me by the player. I hit my tee shot into the deep rough and only seached for it for a minute. I returned to the tee and played a provisional into the same general area....

Gary, Playing a match, A's ball carries into the hole and severely damages the hole, so that it cannot be easily repaired. There is no official in the group. B has a putt for a half, and the hole is significantly larger than regulation on his line. What are the options? spidey

Gary... Do you happen to know the stipulations for posting a score for handicap purposes from a played match? I'm interested in things like: What if the match doesn't last 13 holes? What score do I record if I concede a hole before holing out? Are there any conditions that can make a...

I know this is unlikely... but.... Are there any rules about posting scores from a golf simulator? Technically, not all the components of a round of golf exist, and I suppose it could be called 'practice'..... spidey

If your ball is inside the out of bounds marking but there is a fence that obstructs your swing that is also out of bounds what are your options....:(

In a team better ball match... I play an opponents ball in error. In the match I have lost the hole so I am out of it. We usually keep a stroke card for handicapping during the match - so I add a 2 stroke penalty, not counting the stroke with the wrong ball. My opponent replaces his ball...

http://www.ottawagolf.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=215&highlight=grooves You can tell I'm kinda bored, eh Gary :-) Anyway, quick hypothetical. Your driver or fairway wood has mud or other similarily smooth foreign matter in the grooves of the club face. You give your driver...

In the Alexander of Tunis tournament on Saturday, my ball came to rest under a rake in a bunker. When I lifted the rake the ball rolled a few feet farther away from the original spot. The official at the hole conferred with the referee who said that the ball should be placed on the original...

Was watching the Citizen tournament at Stonebridge today and noticed a lot of blue stakes along the rough on many holes. I know what the white (OB), red (lateral hazard) and yellow (water hazard) are but this is a new one to me. Does anyone know what they are????? :confused

Rule 4-4b allows partners to share clubs, but according to the rule they must only have 14 clubs. This is the rule: Partners may share clubs, provided that the total number of clubs carried by the partners so sharing does not exceed fourteen. Does this mean that between the two bags, they...

Hi Gary, Suppose I drive a ball into the rough on a certain hole and for my 2nd shot, the cart path is intefering with my swing or stance. I take relief from the cart path but due to a hill where my ball is, both times I drop the ball it rolls to a point where the cart path still inteferes with...

Hi Gary, In a recent tournament, a fellow competitor (in another foursome) took a relief from a cart path. When his relief was taken, his competitors observed that he didn't take proper relief from the cart path because the back of his feet were still on the edge of the cart path (I was...

2 simple rules questions. 1) Played at Upper Canada. Their local rule is "if its on the cart path (gravel) or a road, free lift". Is this a legit rule? 2) Hit a shot into some rough (different course). It is normally tall grass. They had cut it. Big piles of grass clippings (old and...

Some courses allow relief from small trees less than 2 club lenghts in height. does anyone know if this is a rule for all courses?

In a medal play tournament A chips his ball close to the hole. To save time B marks A's ball and moves it one putterhead length so that the marker does not does not interfere with B's line. A is unaware that the ball has been moved but is aware that the ball has been marked. B putts. B gives A...

Hey Gary, A player plays his shot from a bunker (A) and skulls it in to heavy fescue (B). He finds his ball but declares it unplayable. There is no relief within 2 club lengths of where the ball lies. I know that he can go back to (A) and and play from the original spot (stroke and distance)....

My apologies if this is basic to most, but what is the rule when one ball hits another on the green. Last year, I lobbed a shot onto a green (couldn't see the green) and hit another ball. The person whose ball I hit told me I am penalized one stoke for hitting his ball. This year someone did the...

My ball comes to rest somewhere in long fescue grass. I see a ball but am not able to identify it. I gently spread the grass apart and see that the ball is mine. Must I now put the grass back into it's orignial position so as not to improve my lie?

I have a question about last weeks rules contest: "The position of Amber’s ball is marked and the ball is lifted from the putting green by fellow-competitor Shannon’s caddie. Does Shannon incur a penalty? No: Shannon incurs no penalty and her caddie may replace Amber’s ball." Rule 20-1...

I don't understand the answer. According to 2-5, the committee may consider a claim after scores have been posted if it was based on facts previously unknown by the player. Additionally, rule 9 states that if a player gives wrong information, regardless of intent, he loses the hole. Explain...

Is there a regulation on how high or long your tees can be when hitting off of the tee-box? I thought there was no height restriction, but have heard differently recently. Thanks.

At the risk of sounding like a nutcase, is it possible to be a professional playing as a right hander, and an amateur playing left handed? I am serious. So was Mac O'Grady.

The Stableford point system is used for qualifying for the Intersectional team. A player misses the putting green on a particular hole, chips the ball to the edge of the hole, walks up and taps it in with his pitching wedge for a double bogey 6 on this par 4. His marker, the club Captain,...

If I hit a ball off the tee, what are my options? When does a deziganted drop zone come into to play? WHat if I hit a ball into the walter off the fairway? What are my options? This should be less confusing than my thread about provisional balls...hopefully

:grumpy: While playing this morning,my second shot from the fairway with a 3-wood hits the stake indicating ground under repair,and rockets 90 degrees right into o.b I droped with one stroke penalty. Is this correct,or is the stake considered g.u.r as well?

Today we had a very unususl situation... one ball was approximately 2 feet to the side of the hole and another was still off the green.. the 2nd ball was pitched onto the green and and hit the ball that was by the hole and redirected into the hole... what is the ruling on this?