By Senior Rules Officials, Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly
October 1st is not only International Coffee Day but also National Homemade Cookies Day. Can the beginning of a new month get any better than sitting down with a fresh cup of coffee, two (or six) homemade cookies and your favorite golf rules’ article? We think not. What a perfect way to brush up on a few Rules before enjoying National Golf Day on the 4th.
Welcome to Autumn. While the leaves are colorful and graceful as they cascade to the ground, they have an unfortunate tendency to land in bunkers and on putting greens. This yearly occurrence gives every golfer the opportunity to observe October 12th, which is Moment of Frustration Day. We are pretty sure that this day was orchestrated with golfers in mind. Following Frustration Day is the unlucky day of Friday the 13th. So this month, we focus on frustrating and unlucky occurrences on the course that every golfer must overcome. Many Rules help alleviate some of those unfortunate and unlucky occurrences but, more times than not, the golfer must overcome the difficulties that the game of golf so richly provides.
Test your knowledge regarding lucky and unlucky occurrences while playing golf with the following questions.
Questions: True / False
1) There is no free relief for a ball that rolls into and comes to rest in a divot in the fairway.
2) The player’s tee shot hits a mower that is moving and the ball is defected and comes to rest out of bounds. The stroke is cancelled and replayed.
3) On a downhill putt, the ball misses the hole and it continues to roll toward the lower part of the green. Before coming to rest, the ball accidentally hits a water bottle that another player left on the putting green. The stroke is cancelled and the player must replay the stroke from where he or she played from.
4) A player set their putter down on the grass while making a short chip from just off the green. Unaware of this, another player’s caddie walked through the area and stepped on the putter, bending the shaft. The player may continue to use the damaged club or replace it with another club.
5) The player’s ball has come to rest in a thick hedge where it is not possible for him or her to make a stroke at the ball. However, when taking a normal stance, the player is standing on a cart path. Therefore, the player may take free relief from the immovable obstruction (cart path) by dropping a ball within one club-length, no closer to the hole, than the nearest point of complete relief.
6) When dropping under Rule 19 for an unplayable ball, the dropped ball rolls and comes to rest in the same location or another location where the ball is unplayable. Without penalty, the player may re-drop the ball.
7) A player must stand in temporary water on the course to make a stroke at his or her ball in the rough (General Area). If one club-length from the nearest point of complete relief is in the fairway, the player is allowed to drop in the fairway.
8) In stroke play, a player removes an out of bounds stake because it interferes with the area of their intended swing at a ball. If the player restores the interference by replacing the stake before making a stroke, there is no penalty.
9) After dropping in the relief area for relief from a penalty area, the ball comes to rest and the ball is properly back in play. Before the player makes a stroke at the ball, it begins to move and rolls back into the penalty area. Since the ball was moved by natural forces, the ball must be played as it lies or relief may be taken a second time from the penalty area.
10) If a player in a match is uncertain of the right procedure, he or she may complete the hole with two balls and get a ruling from the Committee after the match is complete.
Answers:
1) True and Unlucky. Rule 16 and the Definition of Abnormal Course Conditions. Arguably the most often unlucky occurrence on the course. The Rules provide free relief from abnormal course conditions, but divots are not considered abnormal course conditions. The player must overcome the difficulty by skill or declare the ball unplayable and incur a penalty for the relief procedure.
2) False and Unlucky. Rule 11.1. When a ball in motion after a stroke is accidentally defected by an outside influence (mower), the ball must be played as it lies. In this case, since the ball came to rest out of bounds, the player’s only option is to proceed under stroke and distance. Their next stroke from the teeing area will be their 3rd.
3) True and Lucky. Rule 11.1b(2). When a stroke is made from the putting green and accidentally hits a movable obstruction (bottle) that is also on the putting green, the stroke doesn’t count and the player is required to replay. In other words, the player gets a second chance at a tough putt. If the water bottle had been on the fringe, the player would be required to play the ball from where it came to rest after the deflection.
4) True and Lucky. Rule 4.1a(2). In the case presented, the player has several options. He or she may continue to use the damaged club during that round and may also repair it. Additionally, the player may replace the club with any other club.
5) False and Unlucky. Rule 16.1a(3). Free relief is not available when something (bush) other than the condition from which free relief is available makes the stroke at the ball clearly unreasonable. Since a stroke at the ball was impossible, in this situation, the player’s only option is to declare the ball unplayable and incur a penalty stroke for doing so.
6) False and Unlucky. Rule 19 and Clarification 19.2/1. Once the dropped ball comes to rest in the relief area, the player must accept the outcome even if its unfavorable. As the title of the Clarification referenced so aptly states, “No Guarantee Ball Will Be Playable After Taking Unplayable Ball Relief”.
7) True and Lucky. Rule 16.1b. Since the player’s ball is in the general area, the nearest point of complete relief must also be in the general area as well as the relief area in which a ball must be dropped. Both the rough and fairway are considered the general area and it is the player’s good fortune that he or she may drop on shorter grass.
8) True and Lucky. Rule 8.1a and 8.1c. Since the player eliminated the improvement to their intended swing by restoring the original object to as nearly as possible to its original position, there is no penalty. In this situation, failure to do so before making the stroke would get the player a two-stroke penalty.
9) False and Lucky. Rule 9.3. When a ball that has been put into play by dropping, placing or replacing, and it moves and comes to rest in another defined area of the course (penalty area) or out of bounds, the ball must be replaced on its original spot. In this situation, the ball was at rest outside the penalty area and subsequently rolled back into the penalty area. Fortunately, the player must replace the ball where it came to rest after dropping in the relief area.
10) False and Unlucky. Rule 20.1b(4) and Clarification 20.1b(4)/1. A player in match play has no right to play two balls. If a player in a match does so, and the player and opponent refer the matter to the Committee, the score with the original ball always counts. However, if the opponent objects to the player’s procedure of playing two balls, the player loses the hole for playing a wrong ball.