Forum: Rules Of Golf

Hi Gary, I'm playing in a 2 man team stableford event this weekend. Given that it is a team event (total of both players stableford points will be used to determine team score) can my partner assist me during the round. i.e. give advise on club selection or help reading a putt? Also, what...

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...

Hi Gary, With all the rain today some of the greens seemed to have a mushroom type growth and I was wondering what the ruling is if these are in your line as it's not something like a leaf or sand on the green????

Played at a course near Belleville the other day (Trillium Woods). Beautiful course, but some odd ball situations. They were having a tournament later, so we were told to keep pace (no problem). Later, I noticed the greens were hard, which explains why this may have happened: At the second...

In the City and District Championship at Greensmere on Tuesday, my fellow competitor hit his ball into a washed out area to the left of #18, which was also in a roped, newly seeded area(GUR). Asking for a ruling, I suggested that he first take relief from the washed out area, which was...

:walkin Last Sunday while playing at Cloverdale. I had my ball marked on the green with a loonie. I stepped away from it almost 7 - 8 yards watching the other player putt his ball so I won't be on his view . when I returned to make my putt, the marker was not there anymore. scratching my head,...

Gary, I was watching the Ass't Pro OVGA event at HYLANDS today & the following occurred. Tee shot into the trees, found & advanced via several strokes up to the green. At that point the player realized that the red mark on the ball was not his! No provisional as they all felt they saw were it...

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...

I have a question. On Saturday morning at Casselview I was away and next to putt. There was a ball that really wasn't in my line so the other player did not mark. As I was to putt, someone yelled fore and I pushed the putt and hit the other player's ball ( his going closer to the hole and mine...

Gary; In the context of the last thread where the single went out anyway when his fellow competitor was a no-show, in a match play event would he be allowed to use that tee time? Now I know that during match play that practice is allowed between holes (putting, chipping, etc.) provided that...

Gary, what is the ruling in match play if one player shows up and the other doesn't make it on time? This recently occured and the one player went out and played. I think that if the late player meets the on time player at say the third hole that he would have lost the holes he missed but in this...

Gary - Just curious if you know of any rules seminars in the Ottawa area. The RCGA this year only had 2 rules seminars, one in Sherbrooke and the other in BC... These seminars conducted by the RCGA cost $30 per person. I emailed someone at the RCGA asking if I had a group of 20 or 30 if they...

A golfer’s ball lies in a sand bunker. He has his sand wedge in one hand and is pushing his cart outside the bunker with the other around the edge of the bunker when he trips and falls. The sand wedge ends up in the bunker. This actually happened yesterday and the golfer signed for a score of...

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...

At our club, we had been playing under a one club length, preferred lie rule, particularly because some areas in the "rough" would render make a reasonable stroke impossible, and as a consequence, most of our handicaps may be artificially low. However, if we all move the ball, then no-one gains an...

It is my understanding that a golfer can use the score from a match play round even if there are strokes that are conceded. The score that the player would have most likely have made on the hole should be used. Is this correct? Is there a limitation on the number of holes, where concessions...

I was watching the swinging seniors and saw a guy getting relief by marking two club lengths. He still had his head cover on his driver. Is this allowed?

I was playing in a match play event on Sunday. I hit my drive on a par 5 about 260 but it ended up in the woods. I hit a provisional ball that sailed straight down the fairway about 280. As I was looking for my first ball I was informed by someone playing on another hole that they had picked up my...

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

A situation arose today where the yardage sign for a hole, mounted on a post, interfered with my "fellow competitor's" line of flight to his target. Neither his stance nor his swing would have made contact with the sign. He thought that he would be entitled to relief, but I said that he...

While reading someof the threads in this section it has occurred to me that it sounds as if many people are taking this far too seriously, and do not have the " fun " they are suppose to when playing this game. For instance, i read the thread about the father taking his 11 year old boy golfing and...

Just curious about this. I was talking to a friend of mine who had been out golfing with a person who said because of his handicap he could not enter a score that was too high because it would affect his handicap (eg: he actually shot a 9 but entered a 6). They were just playing a friendly round...

Hey Gary; Players A&B hit their approach shots and upon reaching the green notice that player B's ball is short of a cluster of bunkers, player A's ball is in one of the traps. Player A identifies his ball and steps out of the way into an adjacent bunker and leans on his club that is touching...

Hi Gary, I played at my father's course on the weekend, and played a few short/shallow teeing areas. What I mean is that from the fronts of the Tee markers, then 2 club lengths back went off of the short grass. Is there supposed to be a minimum depth to the teeing area, i.e. maybe 1 club...

Just wondering...;) Also. Are there any rules you would like to see changed and why?

Gary, I watched Sergio in the fescue on Friday taking a 1/2 dozen practice swings & taking up an awful lot of long rough.. Then, I was very surprised to see him stride back 3 steps to were his ball was. He then proceded to hit it directly over the area where he had been excavating. Could this...

Hey Gary, I was reading ScoreGolf's monthly issue and they always have weird and almost unbelievable stories on the last page of the magazine. This time, they had the story of a guy who was playing on a hole where the maintenance crew was doing some slight repairs. He hits his tee shot and...

To all, I recently purchased an AdamsGolf gap wedge. I realized later that the grip has an indentation where my right hand index finger contacts the grip. It seems to be under the rubber grip and be there intentionnaly. Is there anybody who can tell me if this legal or not? Help...

In a recent tournament two of my fellow competitors were using a power cart. On a hole that was unfamiliar to them, I suggested that they drive ahead to see where the green was located. One of them indicated that this was against the rules and that they could walk ahead, but not ride ahead. If...

A player's ball lies just off the putting surface and there's loose sand on the green between his ball and the hole. Can the sand be brushed away or does the ball need to be on the green first? :confused

In a recent tournament a player's ball landed in an area of through the green, clearly marked "Grounds Under Repair." The local rules for that day were 12" preferred lies, through the green. If the player wished to play the ball from the GUR, is he entitled to the 12" prefered lie, or,...

Gary, just wondering about the ruling if the players ball is lying in a footprint in a waste bunker. I guess it's just too bad.

In today's Intersectional Matches a golfer's ball was played into a water hazard and lay against a curled up hose that had been placed there by the greens staff. Can the hose be removed from the hazard? If yes, and if the ball is moved in so doing, is the golfer penalized? I know that...

attempting to clear a tree approx 10 yds ahead 40 ft high golfer takes swing, ball hits tree and rebounds back striking clubhead on follow thru(behind back) ball ends up in fairway. ruling please. actually happened to me thurs :crying

When playing a match my opponent concedes a 2' putt for a four, by saying "That's good." Instead of picking up the ball, I putt it and miss. Can my opponent now claim that my score is a five, because I putted and missed, or, is my score still a four because he conceded the putt previously and it...

A golfer addresses(by definition) a putt. He then steps away from the ball and the ball moves. Is he penalized because he had already addressed the ball and the ball moved, or, is there no penalty because the ball moved while he was no longer in the address position? If it is the latter then...

On the Lake #7 hole at Pakenham there are OB stakes from the tee to the water up the right hand side. The intent seems to be to stop players from going for the green by cutting the corner since you cannot see the green from the tee, it would be dangerous. I have seen players reach the fairway...

Who decides what is reasonable evidence? If there are two water hazards from the tee with 60 feet of rough between the two and the player clearly sees the ball go over the first water hazard but doesn't see it land because of a viewed obstruction from the tee and can't find his ball, he assumes...

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.

Long Par 5 fence along left side. Second shot gets pulled to the left, hits the hill by the bunker, bounces left off the fence and sits 2 inches in bounds. The fence is barely out of bounds by way of white stakes. A right handed golfer cannot take a stance to properly address the ball...

Last week, I hit my ball into a sand trap and the ball buried (fried egg). The marks that I put on the ball to identify it as my own were not visible nor were the ball brand/make/number. One of my fellow competitor told me I could play the ball without penalty and then identify the ball...

On the third hole at Le Geant at Mont Tremblant yesterday, one of the deer standing around the hole came over and started to lick my ball, which caused it to move off the back fringe and onto the green. I replaced the ball, which I believe falls under rule 18-1, an outside agency, before I...

With this nice rainy weather was wondering if you can wrap a towel or something else on your grip to help hold the club when really wet????? Or is stuff like "Grip-it" legal??? Thanks

I know that is is against the rules to practice or play on a golf course at any time preceeding a medal play round of golf. However, if the winner of a competition is going to be determined solely by the Stableford scoring system, and not medal play, does the no practice rule still apply?

Hi Gary. At the OGT event on the weekend, my approach shot rolled off the back of the green & we finally found it along the tree line buried under a big pile of green clippings that they had dropped from the mower. None of us where sure about how to proceed re. any relief, some relief or no...

Gary if you are on the green and someone else is chipping up and you go to mark your ball and he says to leave it there what is the ruling on that?? For example if he wants to use your ball to possibly stop his from rolling by the hole? I know I would mark and not leave it and I would not want...