Rules clarification regarding range finders

[John]

Jesus that made me spit my water out all over my keyboard, well played sir.

[BC MIST]

For clarification purposes from the 2012 RCGA Rules of Golf

8-1. Advice
During a stipulated round, a player must not:
a. give advice to anyone in the competition playing on the course other
than his partner, or
b. ask for advice from anyone other than his partner or either of their caddies.

Decision 8-1/2
Exchanging Distance Information
Information regarding the distance between two objects is public information and not advice. It is therefore permissible for players to exchange information relating to the distance between two objects. For example, a player may ask anyone, including his opponent, fellow-competitor or either of their caddies, the distance between his ball and the hole.

Furthermore, it is within the rules to ask a fellow competitor/opponent what club he used on a previous hole, or on the hole being played if both have played, for example, their approach shots to the green.

Apart from the obvious, the use of DMD's speeds up play, for most golfers.

[Sakuraba]

To be fair to Laura, in her post she mentioned the player with the device was intentionally giving mis-information to his fellow competitors. That is a violation of rule 8-1.

[LobWedge]

To be fair to Laura, in her post she mentioned the player with the device was intentionally giving mis-information to his fellow competitors. That is a violation of rule 8-1.

No, actually it's not. Matters of distance information are not considered advice. The mis-information about distance could be considered a breach of etiquette. It's ultimately each player's choice to accept the information presented or not. You have the option of telling the player announcing the information to keep it to himself, and if he does not, you can report it to the committee.

Interesting fact (filed under "I learned something new today"). I'm certain that thousands of golfers use DMD's with additional functions like slope, etc., during non-competitive, or "casual" rounds. Decision 5-1e/2 in the handicap manual allows the use of DMD's that measure distance only to be used for rounds to count for handicapping, but not DMD's that have slope, or other features available, whether they are used or not.

[Sakuraba]

No, actually it's not. Matters of distance information are not considered advice. The mis-information about distance could be considered a breach of etiquette. It's ultimately each player's choice to accept the information presented or not. You have the option of telling the player announcing the information to keep it to himself, and if he does not, you can report it to the committee.

Interesting fact (filed under "I learned something new today"). I'm certain that thousands of golfers use DMD's with additional functions like slope, etc., during non-competitive, or "casual" rounds. Decision 5-1e/2 in the handicap manual allows the use of DMD's that measure distance only to be used for rounds to count for handicapping, but not DMD's that have slope, or other features available, whether they are used or not.

8-1/9
Misleading Statement About Club Selection

Q.A made a statement regarding his club selection which was purposely misleading and was obviously intended to be overheard by B, who had a similar shot. What is the ruling?

A.A was in breach of Rule 8-1 and lost the hole in match play or incurred a two-stroke penalty in stroke play.

I defer to your knowledge, Rich, but to my mind, if it is a violation to intentionally give mis-information about club selection, is it not also a violation to intentionally give mis-information about distance?

[LobWedge]

8-1/9
Misleading Statement About Club Selection

Q.A made a statement regarding his club selection which was purposely misleading and was obviously intended to be overheard by B, who had a similar shot. What is the ruling?

A.A was in breach of Rule 8-1 and lost the hole in match play or incurred a two-stroke penalty in stroke play.

I defer to your knowledge, Rich, but to my mind, if it is a violation to intentionally give mis-information about club selection, is it not also a violation to intentionally give mis-information about distance?

No, not in this context because the definition of Advice specifically states that, "Information on the Rules, distance or matters of public information, such as the position of hazards or the flagstick on the putting green, is not advice."

This situation would fall under Etiquette. Specifically, "The Spirit of the Game: Golf is played, for the most part, without the supervision of a referee or umpire. The game relies on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players and to abide by the Rules. All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the game of golf."

And, if the Committee considers a breach of etiquette to be significant, it can assess a penalty of disqualification.