A collection of The Rules are your friend tidbits Table of Contents 1. Aeration Holes (Rule 13-1) 2. Legal, but ILL Advised a. Rub/Roll the ball on the green to clean (Rule 16-1) b. Raking sand between shots in the bunker (Rule 13-4 Exception 2) c. Not marking your ball (Rule 12-2) d. Leaving your club on the ground during a penalty drop (Rule 20-2) e. Standing on the tee box behind a player who is hitting (Section 1 Etiquette) 3. Marking Your Ball (Rule 20) 4. Movable Obstruction or Loose Impediment 5. When is water a hazard? 6. How to properly drop a ball 7. Common Golf Situations 8. Ball at Rest Moved (Rule 18)
Aeration Holes When a course has been aerated, a Local Rule permitting relief, without penalty from an aeration hole may be warranted. However, LLGC does NOT have a Local Rule for aeration holes. Talking with Bill Hancock, he says we should definitely have one. Meanwhile, if you lift and move your ball, it is considered improving your lie, and it is a 2 stroke penalty. The ball must be played as it lies, except as otherwise provided in the Rules. Rule 13-1. You might ask: Is an aeration hole a hole made by a greenskeeper within the meaning of that term in the Definition of Ground Under Repair? Answer: No. You might ask: Are plugs of compacted soil produced through aeration of fairways loose impediments? Answer: Yes. Such plugs are loose impediments and may be removed carefully without moving your ball. Please read the local rules for more information concerning aeration holes.
Legal, but ILL Advised 1. You may rub or roll your ball on the green to clean it, but it is ill advised. Rule 16-1. A player must not test the surface of any putting green. 2. A player makes a stroke in a bunker but fails to extricate her ball from the bunker. She smoothes irregularities in the area where the stroke was made. It is legal to rake the sand between shots, but it is ill advised. You may be accused of testing the consistency of the sand! Rule 13-4 Exception 2. At any time, the player may smooth sand or soil in a hazard provided this is for the sole purpose of caring for the course. 3. It is legal not to have your ball marked, but ill advised. Rule 12-2. The responsibility for playing the proper ball rests with the player. Each player should put an identification mark on her ball. If a player believes that a ball at rest might be hers, but she cannot identify it, the player may lift the ball for identification, without penalty. Before lifting the ball, the player must announce her intention to her fellow competitor and mark the position of the ball. 4. When taking a penalty drop (one or two club lengths), it is legal to leave your club on the ground, but ill advised. Rule 20-2. If the ball, when dropped, touches any person or the equipment of any player before or after it strikes a part of the course and before it comes to rest, the ball must be re-dropped, without penalty. The ball must also be re-dropped if it rolls more than two club-lengths or if it rolls nearer the hole. 5. It is legal to stand on the tee box behind a player who is hitting, but ill advised. It is considered good etiquette not to stand close to or directly behind the ball when a player is about to hit. Section 1 Etiquette.
Marking Your Ball? Rule 20 covers Lifting, Dropping and Placing; Playing from the Wrong Place. The Note to Rule 20-1 provides the the position of a ball to be lifted should be marked by placing a ballmarker, a small coin or other similar object immediately behind the ball. The Note to Rule 20-1 is a recommendation of best practice and there is no penalty for failing to act in accordance with the Note. Some additional thoughts: The ball-marker should be reasonably sized (to avoid distracting other players). The ball-marker should be placed immediately behind the ball (to avoid improving your line of putt). The ball-marker must physically mark the position of the ball. You should mark your ball the same way every time (to assure that you return the ball to its original position). In stroke play, the player or other competitors may mark and/or replace your ball. It does not need to be the same person. Always ask before you mark someone else s ball. Sometimes a player is asked by another player to move her ball (or ball-marker). How should she proceed? Place your ball-marker behind the ball. Remove the ball. Using your putter, line up the ball-marker with a fixed object. Move the ball-marker left or right to a new position. You may move one to two putter head(s) in length or even a full club length. (It is sometimes helpful to turn the ball-marker upside down as a reminder that you need to return the marker to the original spot.) In order to accurately replace the ball on the spot from which it was lifted, the steps used to move the ball or ball-marker to the side should be reversed. What about marking the ball in the area just off the green? You must be asked to mark your ball by another player. You may not take this action on your own or you incur a 1 stroke penalty (Rule 22-2). You may not clean your ball and you should hold it in such a manner to show that it is not being cleaned. You can rotate the ball when replacing it. Rule 22 covers more information on Ball Assisting or Interfering with Play. Within reason, you may ask for a ball (or ball-marker) to be moved so it will not interfere with your play.
Movable Obstruction or Loose Impediment I hear some interesting discussions after golf, like what do I do if my ball lands on a candy wrapper? Frankly, I never thought about that, but of course, there is a rule in golf for every situation. A candy wrapper is a movable obstruction. The player may remove it under Rule 24-1. MOVABLE OBSTRUCTION A player may take relief, without penalty, from a movable obstruction as follows: a. If the ball does not lie in or on the obstruction, the obstruction may be removed. If the ball moves, it must be replaced, and there is no penalty. b. If the ball lies in or on the obstruction, the ball may be lifted and the obstruction removed. The ball must be dropped (through the green or in a hazard) or placed (on the putting green), as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball lay in or on the obstruction, but not nearer the hole. The ball may be cleaned when lifted under this Rule. Other examples of movable obstructions are 150 yard markers, red stakes only if you are outside the hazard, abandoned or range balls, and rakes. Out of bounds stakes are fixed: NOT movable. LOOSE IMPEDIMENTS Now, what if your ball lands on, heaven forbid, dung. Loose impediments are natural objects, including: Stones, leaves, twigs, branches, worms, insects, and yes, dung. Dung is not a movable obstruction; it is a loose impediment. You cannot remove the dung without the risk of moving the ball. Rule: Ball At Rest Moved If the ball lies anywhere other than on the putting green and the removal of a loose impediment by the player causes the ball to move, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke (Rule 18-2a).
When is water a hazard? This question came up during the first day of the Ringer tournament. Question: I hit my ball into the water running from the culvert to the left of the #1 tee box across the fairway into the pond on the right. I thought this area was a water hazard so I took my relief but when I came in the pro told me that it was casual water. What do I do now? This question has 3 important lessons. First lesson. It pays to know how your course is marked. In this case, there are no hazard markings from the culvert to the pond so the area in question is casual water. The player may take free relief by dropping her ball within 1 club length from the nearest point of relief to her ball. The lateral water hazard on #1 doesn t begin until the stakes around the pond. Nearest point of relief is the place closest to the ball but no closer to the hole where you are able to get full and complete relief (relief for the ball and your stance). You should fully consider the implications of taking relief before you mark and pick up your ball. Sometimes playing the ball where it lies is the best option. Second lesson. Whenever you have an unusual rules question bring it to the Rules/Tournament Committee so that they can help you get the answer. If you think you have different options, play 2 balls (identifying which one you intend to use for score) and come to the committee with results. Third lesson. Ringer tournaments are very forgiving. In this case, the player had a much improved score on the second day and was able to use that for her score.
Common Golf Situations Stroke Play 1. Out of Bounds (OB) (white stake) C 2. Water Hazard (yellow stake) B, C, E 3. Lateral Hazard (red stake) B, C, D, E, F 4. Grounding Club in Hazard (sand or water) H 5. Lost Ball C 6. Unplayable lie C, E, G 7. Giving or Asking for Advice (i.e. What club did you H use?) 8. Immovable (man made obstruction) interferes with swing or stance (except an OB fence) A, B 9. Hitting the wrong ball H 10. Ball in Ground Under Repair or on Cart Path A, B Play the ball as it lies. Play the course as you find it. Put your ball in play at the beginning of the hole. Play only your own ball. Do not touch until lift from hole. Common Golf Situations Stroke Play 1. Out of Bounds (OB) (white stake) C 2. Water Hazard (yellow stake) B, C, E 3. Lateral Hazard (red stake) B, C, D, E, F 4. Grounding Club in Hazard (sand or water) H 5. Lost Ball C 6. Unplayable lie C, E, G 7. Giving or Asking for Advice (i.e. What club did you H use?) 8. Immovable (man made obstruction) interferes A, B with swing or stance (except an OB fence) 9. Hitting the wrong ball H 10. Ball in Ground Under Repair or on Cart Path A, B Play the ball as it lies. Play the course as you find it. Put your ball in play at the beginning of the hole. Play only your own ball. Do not touch until lift from hole.
Common Golf Situations Stroke Play 1. Out of Bounds (OB) (white stake) C 2. Water Hazard (yellow stake) B, C, E 3. Lateral Hazard (red stake) B, C, D, E, F 4. Grounding Club in Hazard (sand or water) H 5. Lost Ball C 6. Unplayable lie C, E, G 7. Giving or Asking for Advice (i.e. What club did you H use?) 8. Immovable (man made obstruction) interferes with swing or stance (except an OB fence) A, B 9. Hitting the wrong ball H 10. Ball in Ground Under Repair or on Cart Path A, B Play the ball as it lies. Play the course as you find it. Put your ball in play at the beginning of the hole. Play only your own ball. Do not touch until lift from hole. Common Golf Situations Stroke Play A. No penalty. Drop the ball within one club length of the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole. B. No penalty. Play the ball as it lies. C. One stroke. Replay from where ball was last hit. D. One stroke. Drop the ball within two club lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard. E. One stroke. Drop the ball as far back as desired, on a line through where the ball lies and the flag. F. One stroke. Drop on the point on the opposite margin of the hazard equal distance from the hole G. One stroke. Drop the ball within two club lengths from where the ball lies. H. Two strokes
Common Golf Situations Stroke Play A. No penalty. Drop the ball within one club length of the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole. B. No penalty. Play the ball as it lies. C. One stroke. Replay from where ball was last hit. D. One stroke. Drop the ball within two club lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard. E. One stroke. Drop the ball as far back as desired, on a line through where the ball lies and the flag. F. One stroke. Drop on the point on the opposite margin of the hazard equal distance from the hole G. One stroke. Drop the ball within two club lengths from where the ball lies. H. Two strokes Common Golf Situations Stroke Play A. No penalty. Drop the ball within one club length of the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole. B. No penalty. Play the ball as it lies. C. One stroke. Replay from where ball was last hit. D. One stroke. Drop the ball within two club lengths of the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard. E. One stroke. Drop the ball as far back as desired, on a line through where the ball lies and the flag. F. One stroke. Drop on the point on the opposite margin of the hazard equal distance from the hole G. One stroke. Drop the ball within two club lengths from where the ball lies. H. Two strokes
Rule 18 Rule 18 - Ball at Rest Moved (Stroke Play) Penalty Action Key terms are defined in Rules Definitions By player, partner, caddie or her equipment One stroke Replace ball Except as allowed when: Searching for a ball in the rough, sand or water None Replace ball Repairing a hole plug or ball mark None Replace ball Measuring None Replace ball Lifting None Replace ball Placing or replacing a ball None Replace ball Removing a loose impediment on the green None Replace ball Removing a moveable obstruction None Replace ball Ball moved accidentally by practice swing prior to tee sho None Play ball from teeing ground (i.e. ball falls off the tee) (can be re-teed) By player, after addressing the ball One stroke Replace ball Except if Virtually certain that the player did not cause the ball to move. In order to meet this standard, it must be known or virtually certain that some other observable factor None Replace ball (e.g., wind, water or an outside agency (not gravity)) caused the ball to move. Ball in play moved accidentally by practice swing One stroke Replace ball (Ball is in play after the tee shot until it is holed out, except when the ball has been marked.) By the opponent, caddie or their equipment None Replace ball By another ball None Replace ball By an outside agency None Replace ball By the wind (wind is not an outside agency) None Play the ball as it lies By an unexplainable force after the ball was thought to be at None Play the ball as it lies An oscillating ball is deemed not to have moved. None Ball didn't move (Oscillating ball means that it wiggles but stays in the same place) Failure to replace the ball as required One stroke prepared May 2015 by Jennie Jones