Forum: Rules Of Golf

Basically, do one have any options that would allow one to go back to the tee if they don't like their first result for whatever reason even if it is playable and what would the penalty be? Background info: I recently played and hit a wonky first tee shot that hit a tree about 50 yards...

My ball landed about 6" from the 150y marker/stick yeserday. There was a chance it would interfere with my follow through. Am I allowed to remove it? And does the same rule apply if it were to interfere with my backswing?

What would be the ruling if you are putting and an earthquake made your shot go offline? Could you actually blame the earthquake? Could be a good excuse :)

Wow. Sorry, but the rules are lame sometimes. I know what Faldo said about the rules being black and white, and I agree. However, in no way did he deserve a two stroke penalty for that.

I have 2 issues with a regular golf buddy, and I am either too thick or too lazy to find my answers in the rules or the decisions. Beef #1: declaring a ball lost. I say you cannot declare a ball lost, or at least that you saying your ball is lost has no meaning rules-wise. Beef #2: cart...

During my last round at Stonebridge, I hit a tee shot into the fescue. Then one of my fellow competitors hit a shot that ended up less than a foot from my ball... pretty much directly behind my intended line of play. As a result of him hitting his ball out onto the fairway, he may have improved...

Ruling required! A ball is in the line of an opponents putt on the green. You place your putter behind the ball and place a mark using a line of reference. You replace the placement of the ball only this time you place a mark instead of the ball and put the ball in front of the mark. The ball...

It was interesting watching the happenings on #3 with Dustin. No one including the video people could tell where the ball was and as it hit the trees it wasn't known or virtually certain that it was in the hazard so after looking for 5 minutes back to the tee he went. The ball was found within...

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

for a ball on the gree,I believe you move it too the nearest possible spot is this correct

if player A has a handicap of 10 and player B has a handicap of 12.5 in a matchplay tournament...do we round up or down? Does player B get 2 or 3 strokes?

I am trying to put my 9 that I played at Canadian. Unfortunately I am having to input a manual entry as there is a discrepancy. When I am putting in the rating of the 9 and it gives it as a 18 (69.8) How do I put that in? Do I divide by 2 and use that?

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...

I was playing in an event at my home course. It was a tournament called the May Monthly. Long story short, I eventually X'ed myself on a hole taking myself out of the tournament. I presume I still put in a tournament score in the handicap? And just count a double for that X'ed hole?

OK, had this one today and wasn't 100% sure if it was correct. Loch March #10. Your ball in on the right edge of the cart path that is between the hills that border the 10th fairway and the hazard to the right of the path. There is in fact enough space to take relief between the path and the...

Which Rule or Rules do you have the most trouble understanding/applying?

This came up recently, I have read the rules and I find it difficult what constitutes "testing" the conditions of a hazard. Would rocking your club back and forth in a hazard be considered "testing" where the club is brushing the growth of the hazard since one could determine how easily the club...

What's the call / procedure / penalty when your ball lands on a green other than yours where it is not marked out of bounds and you have a shot at your green? This happened to a friend of mine today...he lifted, took no penalty but we both were unsure as to what really to do...

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...

Thanks for all the responses to my ankle deep water question. It seems that one rules question has started me asking more. 1. Back on Falconridge hole #16 a par 3 short of the green left there is a stand of trees. One has broken and the top is on the ground but it is still attached to the...

Had opening day tourny today. Going down the 18th, I was under a pine tree. The limbs were about 3 feet in the air. I backed into the tree to the point where I could take a few practice swings. My swing was restricted on both the backswing and follow through. During my practice swings, I definitely...

This is an embarrassing situation. I teed up on the tenth tee today and my tee ball hit the tee marker and ricocheted to the right. I proceeded to play the ball as it was. One of the guys playing with me said that I could re-tee without penalty. I think he is wrong. He also claims if your ball...

Playing Falconridge 17th hole. Hit a bad tee shot, went right and landed in long grass maybe into light bush. I hit a provisional ball. Get up there and if I choose to look for my ball I'm in ankle deep water. There are no red stakes. Couldn't find my ball but my playing partner agreed it was in...

I was wondering if there is any penalty for hitting another ball that is not visible when swinging at your own ball. I saw that happened to Phil Mickleson at Quail hollow I think, he swung at his ball in thick rough and 2 came out. In this situation the players ball was near a hazard on mushy...

I was playing a few holes as practice after work the other day not keeping score as I was only going to play 3 or 4 holes and was playing 2 or 3 balls at once just for on-course practice. Anyhow, as I addressed a ball on the tee with my iron I just touched the ball and it started to wobble. I...

My drive went into the water; of that there is no doubt. We all saw it splash down near the centre of the pond, and it then disappeared in the depths. However, part of the pond is a hazard and part is out of bounds. It hit near the line, but I'd guess there was about a 75% chance that it was in...

Greensmere hole #6 white, par 5, I hit my driver on the left side of the fairway between two large hills. To the left is another fairway, there's no water in this area so I thought for sure I would find the ball. My ball went the farthest of everyone in our group, so by the time it was my turn to...

Is there a penalty for teeing it up on the wrong set of tees? While playing the whites yesterday,my friend without noticing moved back to the blue tees about 5 yards behind the whites and hit his ball.I announced to him in a match that he would get a penalty for playing the wrong tees.Thats when...

Other than being annoying to the people you are playing with, is there any penalty for announcing what club you just hit?? I play with a couple of people that are always doing that. That was a 7 iron etc. As if the rest of the group really cares.:-)

Some clarification from you much better versed rules people than me please. Can someone please explain to me what role the RCGA (or Golf Canada) actually plays in establishing the rules of golf. I am often reading that tournament play will be "governed by the RCGA Rules of golf" (that taken...

Are you allowed to change the the weights and positioning of the head on the Taylormade r9 on every hole during a game or is that considered modifying the club?

I made up three scenarios and included the total number of strokes for each holes, if it's incorrect, just explain where I am wrong. If you don't know where I took a stroke or that something doesn't make any sense, let me know and I try my best to clarify. ---- 1st HOLE ------- a) Drive slices...

Since there are those that enjoy the "hypotheticals," have a go at this. One of the exercises that our OVGA rules group enjoy doing are "Ricky's." Ricky is a blundering idiot of a golfer who obviously knows nothing about the rules. (Any resemblance to anyone here is purely coincidental.:) ) The...

Ricky was scrambling to make his 8:20am tee time at the City Stroke Play Championship, running from the range to the first tee with his bag of 13 clubs on his back, his R9 driver head in one hand and a couple of shafts in the other. He arrived at the tee just as the starter began announcing his...

i searched the out of bounds threads but didn't find the answer to my questions. here's what i understand in plain english about out of bounds: 1- if my ball is lost (outside a water hazard), i am penalized a stroke and i have to hit my next shot from the same place where i hit the last shot....

Closed

Late in yesterday's golf telecast, there was a great example of KVC, "known or virtually certain." Robert Allenby was significantly PO'd on the ruling he got late in the 4th round. His ball headed toward a lateral water hazard, but no one saw it go in. The commentators indicated that it was heard...

In stroke play, a competitor’s tee shot comes to rest in a greenside bunker. He moves a loose impediment in the hazard, and in doing so, causes the ball to move. He then makes a stroke at the ball but misses. Realizing he had been required to replace the ball, he now replaces the ball to its...

I have noticed there are a few members on here that have completed the different levels in the RCGA Rules Education. I am interested in obtaining these levels, and I have a couple of questions: 1- Is it logical to say that you can obtain a level a year? I am not sure what the opportunity is...

Last year I was playing with a FC who consistantly out drove me. On one hole, I had a very good drive, and my FC also had a good hit in the same direction. When we walked over the crest of the hill, I could see both of our balls - with one about five yards ahead of the other. I took my 3 wood...

In stroke play, a player strikes his ball into an area of casual water that is adjacent to a water hazard. He mistakenly thinks that the casual water is a part of the water hazard. Abandoning the original ball, which he could have easily retrieved, he substitutes a ball, drops it five yards behind...

A player whiffs his tee shot and then lifts his ball, removes the tee and drops the ball where the tee had been. The player then plays a stroke onto the fairway. The player lies ???. Why?

A Level 3, RCGA rules seminar will be held in Ottawa on April 30, May 1 and 2, at the Carleton Golf and Yacht Club. Registration and information may be found on the Golf Quebec website, here: http://www.golfquebec.org/carte/DetailTournois.asp?code=158

From another website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG0qfI8syG0 How would you have ruled?