Forum: Rules Of Golf

Putting this one out there for debate. I don't know the answer, or even if one exists. A player arrives at the first tee to begin his round. The first hole is particularly difficult. Not very long, but the tee shot has to be very precise. The teeing ground is elevated, and the landing area is...

In the Harrington thread I made reference to some rules of golf where the player does everything right, but still gets penalized. The challenge then, to those interested, is to search your understanding of the rules or your experience on the course, and come up with examples of situations where...

18th hole match play............Par 5 Playing against a 2 HDCP, I was 10 at the time. I was 80 yds out after 2 shots and the other guy was under a tree 100 yds back..........with no swing..........unless he climbs the tree. So, we have a local rule with certain trees with ribbons. So the...

I've heard that contacting the ball in a practice swing doesn't count as a shot, although I can't find anything official on the subject and will take the stroke as is until I can confirm that. But, operating under that train of thought, what happens if you're on the tee and make contact with the...

OK, instead of hijacking the other thred, I will start this one. I do believe that rules are necessary to make the game of golf fair during competition but in my opinion, some fo the rules of golf are archiac, outdated and just simply put, stupid! Is it time for the R&A/USGA/RCGA to update...

After reading Gary’s answers over the last day this should be a relatively simple one to respond to. While playing the Meadows Sat morning on the West 9 one of my FC’s balls landed IN the green-side bunker front-right of the green and about 3 feet from the edge closest to the green. My shot landed...

I'm new to golf and my friend plays provisional balls all the time. He told me that he doesn't know where his first ball went so plays a second one off the tee. Then we go to his second ball, he doesn't even look for the first one. Then after he shoots his provisonal ball he usually finds his...

You pop up your driver. It's late on the course, no one waiting for the tee and it's been a couple of holes since you hit a good one, or maybe you just want to see how far down the fairway you can hit one that doesn't count, so you say "I might not find that one" lol, and tee another up. ...

I didn't question it when it came up this afternoon but it doesn't seem right so I want to seek confirmation. It was clear the guy was going to be out of the hole anyway due to the way he started off (we were in a match play event) so I didn't say anything, but he said that his ball was near a...

Another player caught with a rules violation. In yesterdays Safeway Classic Juli had a long wait to tee off on the 10th (I think) and put a club weight on to take some practice swings and at the end of the round was asked about it and under rule 14-3 she was disqualified. I guess this is another...

If my ball is right behind a marker on the course (ie. posts defining yardage) where is my closest relief.... if any. Note: It does not interfere with my swing but I'm almost certain that I will hit it with my ball. These posts cannot be moved.

I was teeing off at GLEN MAR yesterday and I used a 3 iron from the white tees. It was one of those holes were all the tee boxes were about 5-10 yards apart (pros, mens, womens) and My ball was a line driver, a bit to the left, and it hit the tee box marker infront of us (the left one). Had it not...

For those who don't know yet, the R&A and USGA announced a couple of weeks ago, new groove rules and specifications for clubs with lofts greater than 25º (5-iron range). Without getting into too much detail (you can read the full text here,...

I put my tee shot in the bush and then I hit a provisional on the fairway. I walk into the bush to look for the original ball and find it but it's unplayable. Can I get a drop say from point of entry and take a penalty stroke?

In taking a drop from a cart path, it is my understanding that you must take "full relief". In other words, you cannot still stand on the cartpath after taking relief. The argument could be made that this says nothing about the stance. My take on it is that the stance is understood to be...

An FC tried to claim a 2 stroke penalty because I was interfering with his putt by standing on his line. I responded, correctly I'm sure, that there is no such rule, although there is a point of etiquette and if he mentioned that he was bothered I would have moved. I don't think I was even...

I played a quick nine at Raceview last night and an interesting rules situation came up (BTW, the course is in great shape and fairly dry considering the weather and time of year). The 2nd hole has a lateral water hazard on both sides of the fairway, but with all the rain we've had the hazard has...

From The Leith Society - a story. In a stroke play tournament, on a 180 yard par 3, a player played his tee shot that flew into a tree on the tee side of a wide stream, i.e., water hazard, that runs across in front of the putting green. Although there was no evidence to that affect, the player...

On a par 3...do you have to pass the drop area distance in order to use the drop area? Or can you use it anytime your ball isn't playable? 17th hole at Soricer. It is about 180 yards from the blues to the centre of the green. The drop area is about 120 yards over water. Say I had a playing...

I'm not sure of this one. :confused A player hits his tee shot and it becomes lodged in the branches of a tree. He walks to the tree and is able to identify that it is his ball, but he can't reach it. He decides to invoke Rule 28 (Ball Unplayable) and turns to walk back to the tee. After a few...

The 2009 Handicap Season starts today, so start entering those scores! :)

Can anyone chime in here as far as OVGA or other sanctioned tournements what the rules are regarding range finders or other equippement ex. Golfbuddy etc.... I'm not talking pro's on tour just the regular guys and galls of the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Just curious as when you can or can not use them...

If a ball is hit into a lateral water hazard it is one stroke and you drop two clublengths from where it entered the hazard. Now playing third shot from well up the fairway. But if you hit a ball that rolls out of bounds, even if not lost, just sitting a couple inches from the OB stake, you have to...

I have another question about a ruling. Myself and 3 other guys are playing a match after the golf course has been aerated (little holes in the ground). On the second hole I drive my ball about 5 feet in the right rough, my playing partner was waaayyyy out to the left, one opponent was wayy to...

Gary: I've observed this on more than one occasion this year and I'd like to know the ruling. A player hits his ball from the tee on a long hole with a driver. The ball arcs toward a water hazard or a lateral water hazard. In each case the hazard is bordered by rough, a stand of trees or two...

As suggested, I'm opening up a new thread on the meaning of "The Committee" and a "competition". This was discussed in another thread that had gone off-topic. I'm going to start fresh here with a new angle though. I was reading a discussion on another golf forum about punched greens. It's...

played with someone new to our golf circle yesterday and he used a tee in the hole at bottom of his club in thi grip. I asked him what he was doing and she said "it helps me point my club straight back of the target and also helps me with not going outside-in. I didn't say anything since he...

Played today with one of the forum members and we got into a small disagreement after I finally went ahead in a bit of a money game. He's not hitting his driver that great and decides to put it away and just use the 3 wood off the tee to keep it in play. I told him he has to keep using the...

(A) A player hits his tee shot towards an area of trees and thinking that it may be lost, plays a provisional. The ball flies in the same direction as the first. Upon arriving at the area where the balls flew he finds two balls, one in a lateral water hazard and one is nearby in the rough. They...

File this one under "Taking My Own Medicine". No excuses, I just missed it. Someone brought up Rule 25-2 Embedded Ball in another thread, and I immediately realized that I had violated this rule at the NCGT event this past Saturday. I took relief from an embedded lie, but it was not in...

I htink this is the appropriate forum to post this, but if not, feel free to move it.... Given all the discussions over the spirit of the rule vs. the letter of the rule, do you think Michelson should drop the 20 year old wedges and get some that conform with the new rules? ...

Those who watched Saturday's golf action saw Matt Kuchar trying to get relief from an immovable obstruction on the 16th hole. His ball was against a rock wall which was declared an integral part of the course. But, when taking a stance his left foot was on an irrigation pipe, which is an...

Played Les Vieux Moulins today and on #12, my second shot ended up in the bushes just short and to the left of the green. The ball was in the crotch of a branch, suspended about 18" above the ground. As I started my backswing, my club contacted another branch which pulled the branch where my...

What are the rules? Here are some questions?? 1) If the best ball might be ok.. and a provisional is required, do both players hit a provisional? 2) Do you do best ball on the putts as well?? Second guy would get an amazing look at the putt.. that doesn't seem right 3) Do you have to...

Gerry fades a ball to the right towards an area of bush. Thinking his ball may be lost he announces, "I will play a provisional." His provisional again fades towards the same area and he says, "I'll play another." In searching, he finds the 2nd and 3rd balls, but he does NOT find the original. ...

A player hits his ball thin out of a greenside bunker, and the ball flies over the back of the green, landing approximately 15 yards beyond the back fringe. The ball ends up 3 feet behind the back right corner of a large slab of concrete that extends vertically out of the turf about 12 inches. It...

Is there a rule against this? There have been times when I have a long putt with lots of slope and I have thought, "I should use a wedge to get over the trouble areas." Can I use a wedge or really any other club on a green? I've never done this nor have I seen anyone do it, but it seems that...

You are on the putting surface and have marked your ball. You replace ball very carefully lining up the putt with a line on the ball (anyone who does this know how hard it is to get the ball to stay where you want sometimes) You then settle in to your routine and the ball rolls a half turn...

Gbower slices his tee shot into the centre of a bush. He deems it unplayable and measures two club-lengths from the outside of the bush. He drops a ball not nearer the hole, at the maximum distance within the two club-lengths he measured. The ball rolls only two feet and not nearer the hole,...

On the 4th hole the Out of Bounds (OOB) is marked with white stakes and also has a white line the length of the right side of the hole. Lyle hits his ball and it comes to rest near the line but not OOB. One of the stakes is about 2" in front of his ball. Can Lyle remove this stake???? :book

Are there any rules to be aware of if a ball is found in long rough by stepping on it? This happened a couple of times in my round today. On the first occasion, I stepped on my FC's ball and on the second occasion, I stepped on my own. When I found my own ball, I'm pretty sure I made the lie...

While playing a round yesterday one of the guys in our group wanted to keep giving instructions throughout the round and it was quite annoying. He also asked me to fix some marks on the green that weren't ball marks. I noticed that he had 15 clubs in his bag and he just told me where I could...

At the recent OCAA golf championship, the players were informed that if there was any doubt as to how to proceed during play, that they were to play two balls and get a ruling from either Gerry or myself later. This scenario is hypothetical but based on a similar incident. On a hole a player hit...

Let Harrington's penalty on #15 be a lesson to all. :nono :-) If your ball moves after the first time you've addressed it, even if you back away before it moves, you'll incur a one stroke penalty under Rule 18-2b, and you need to replace your ball. :book

We know from scientific studies that pot is a dangerous illegal drug that ruins lives. But a friend of mine is thinking of smoking pot to relieve pain while playing golf, can he be DQ'd in a tournament or matchplay for playing golf stoned? Thanks.