Forum: Rules Of Golf

Player A and B both hit shots into a bunker and are on the same line of play. A plays first and advances his ball a few yards in the same bunker. He rakes his footprints, but his next shot hits the lip of the bunker and rolls back into the area he just raked. B then plays his shot and it also...

This happend at a PGA event a year or two ago. A players stance was in the bunker but his ball was in the faiway, he hit his shot and it went into a greenside bunker. His caddie raked the fairway bunker and proceeded to the green. After the player completed the hole he was assesed a one or...

Now how about this: Player is in a green side bunker and hits it out onto the green. The shot didnt carry as far as he would have liked, and as the ball starts to roll back towards the bunker, the player slams his club into the sand in anger. The ball comes to rest back in the bunker... is he not...

OK guys here is the question. If there is no sand in the bunker; or if it is packed like cement---what do you do? a) play as it lies? b) lift it out and play from opposite side away from the green? The reason I am asking is because I have spent the...

Hi, just wondering what the ruling is for grounding your club in a sand bunker after you've hit your shot?? No stroke penalty?? Thanks, Ty.:wave

My wife made a comment about the water in the bunkers at the Open. Why dont they just vacuum the water out of the bunkers? Does anyone know the ruling of the R&A . I see they have to play them when wet. Thanks

Not sure where to put this post. A question to clubs running their match play championships. Are contestants allowed caddies? I wonder this because of of this scenario. A low handicapper is playing a high handicapper. Full handicaps in play. There is cash on the line for the winner. A high...

I watched Camillo on a par 5 chip up a hill and have the ball roll back. The next time he chipped it rolled back again. While it was still rolling he was brushing some grass or part of a divot away with is club. It looked relatively close to his line. But even if it wasn't is this legal?

I don't know the answer but was thinking of a few situations in which someone would be required or would be able to drop on the green

Sometimes I play when my course is almost empty. To improve my short game, I'll play multiple balls when I'm close to the green. If I always count the first ball that I hit, can I still claim the game for handicapping purposes?

My drive almost cleared the water hazard. The lack of rain had reduced the large pond to a few puddles. My ball was embedded in mud. I got the ball, took a stroke penalty, and looked for a place to drop. There was a grassy bit within a club length (no closer to the hole) so I dropped there -...

Hi, I simply have a question regarding rangefinders. I would like to know if it legal for me to carry and use both a GPS rangefinder and also a laser rangefinder at the same time?

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...

I think I asked this before but can't find the thread (if I even made one). If you have a line on your ball and want to use the line to line up with the hole out of the fairway like you do on the green? Can you mark your ball and rotate it and put it back? Thanks

like a smith glove or a swing guide??? I was pretty sure you weren't allowed but someoone told me I was wrong... now I'm not so sure

being a right handed player, am I allowed to carry a left handed club. (still not going over 14 clubs). I'm pretty sure the answer to this is yes. I can hit a 6i left handed 150 yards, 15 yards less than my right handed swing. I've never had to flip my club over this year to hit a ball left...

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...

after hitting a tee shot the ball land so that there is a tree between the ball and the hole( so close-such that you cannot swing towards the hole) you decide to play/hit the ball sort of backwards when you set up to swing you are now standing on the cart path Question do get relief- and if so...

dogleg right, cart path lines the right side of the fairway and beyond it are a scattering of trees you can't shoot through/over. ball lands about three feet on the right side of the cart path slightly before the corner, no shot to the green because trees are blocking. feet are on cart path on...

I am appalled at the number of golfers who do not yet understand how to find the "nearest point of relief" when their ball comes to rest on a cart path. Most just pick up the ball and drop it on the side of the cart path that gives them the easiest shot to the green/fairway. Many do these because...

gbower's ball lies on the right side of a cart path. There is OB less than a yard from the path on the right. It is impossible to take full relief from the cart path on the right hand side and remain in bounds. What are his options?

I recently hit my ball just off the enter/exit part of the path where the ground is beaten down by cart traffic. There is no grass in this area because of the cart traffic. What is the ruling here? Do I play it as it lies?

RULING Dogleg left hole Cart path on left side with small margin of light rough to the left of path. Wide enough to take a drop with stance. Player takes stance with ball position just off cart path. Now Wants to take their club length across the cart path. If they get to place it after two...

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...

On Mont Cascade's 7th hole, there is a cart path at the bottom of the hill at the narrowest point. The path is adjacent to a ditch which is staked as a hazzard. The retaining wall of the cart path has broken, and a considerable amount of "cart path gravel" has spilled into the ditch. One of my...

When getting relief from a cart path, your drop lands more than 1 club length but less than 2 away, no closer to the hole. Is this a legal drop?

Here's one from today that people had trouble agreeing on. A players ball lay on the grass at the edge of a gravel cart path. The path crossed his intended line of play in front of the ball. Neither the player's stance nor the ball were touching the path at setup. The player felt that he'd...

Advanced difficulty. A 5' wide cart path runs up the left side of a straightaway par 4. 18" left of the cart path is a 6' high, metal, out of bounds fence. Your ball comes to rest on the geometric middle of the cart path. As you wish to take relief from the cart path, from where may you play...

This may sound like a stupid question but when does a cartpath stop and the fairway begin On Sunday golfing with my buddies one of them poped his drive about 150 yards out just where the cart path enters the fairway the ground was packed down hard just like a cartpath but it was sort of on the...

For beginners ONLY. This actually happened at a recent local tournament. As a golfer was taking his stance, water appeared at the base of his shoes and there was a squishing sound under his feet. Is the player entitled to relief under the casual water rule?

Another question came up this weekend The ball is about one foot from the rough, in the uncut fescue, in a puddle. The puddle extened well into the fescue, and a foot or two into the rough. His nearest point of relief would have put him in the rough, a big advantage. We were unsure if...

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...

Played Pakenhan today and one of my fellow competitor's ball came to rest in casual water in the near end of a greenside bunker. The only area free of casual water was in the far end of the bunker, all of which was closer to the hole from where his ball was originally lying in the bunker. My...

Can you take releif? I don't know but Im guessing it's not considered "through the green" even though you are in "a" fairway.

With all the rain we've had in the last week or so, the question came up as to casual water in the rough. Are you allowed relief if your ball comes to rest in casual or standing water in the rough. Some say you have to play it as it is and some say you do get relief. If you can get relief, is it...

I have a question about relief from a hazard that is staked and the water is now outside the staked area. If the ball is not in the hazard but in the water is it considered casual water and you get a free drop or are you now in the hazard even though the markers are under water? With all the rain...

A golfer's ball comes to rest in a puddle, (casual water) and he elects to take relief. Marking the nearest point and the club length relief with tees, he drops the ball properly. His lie is poor so he then claims that he is still in casual water because when he fairly takes his stance, water can...

Are the players allowed to communicate via cell phones while playing a PGA/Major event? Do they, for example, tweet or text during their rounds? Just curious??

Gary, What's the ruling when a chain linked fence defining the limits of a course (such as on the left side of the 15th hole at Loch March) obstructs your swing path (especially those stupid metal posts running from the ground to midway up the fence at a 45 degree angle!!!)? ...

Well, the USGA has formally announced it's intent to change the rules for groove. I'm sure the lawyers have started their engines already. http://www.usga.org/news/2007/february/2007_11.html

Saw this in the Ottawa Citizen: http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2011/10/26/handicap-change-approved/ I think this is the same as the USGA system. If your goal is to decrease your handicap next year, this change will make that more difficult.

Below is a link to a summary of the changes to the Rules of Golf for 2012 to 2015. http://www.randa.org/en/Rules-and-Amateur-Status/~/media/RandA/Related%20Documents/2011/72580ROGCLUBHOUSEforewardprincipal.ashx