Old Wives Tails
(or misconceptions on the Rules of Golf)
How many times have you played golf with a person who acts like the absolute authority on the Rules of Golf only to discover later that what he/she told you was incorrect? It has happened to all of us, or if you are new to the game, it will. Hopefully after reading this article you will be better prepared. Just remember, the question to ask of anyone who seems like an authority: “Would you please show me that in the Rules of Golf book?” Here are some of my favorite old wives tales.
Myth #1: “Only the person who marked and lifted the ball on the putting green can replace it.” WRONG. Rule 20-3 tells us “If a ball is to be replaced, the player, his partner or the person who lifted or moved it must place it on the spot from which it was lifted or moved.” Since the player would be responsible for any breach of the rules in the replacement, he is always in control of his golf ball and can replace it himself.Second piece of misinformation: “If the ball is in the middle of the cart path a player may choose the side on which to drop the ball.” WRONG again. To find the nearest point of relief, address an imaginary ball on either side of the cart path. Where the club head touches the course, put a tee in the ground. You then measure or eyeball the distance from the ball lying on the path to each tee. The tee nearer to the ball determines the side of the path where you drop. If that side happens to be a vertical slope, rocks, clumps of high grass or trees, and if you dropped your ball there it is likely to be unplayable, you still have to drop on that side of the path if you want free relief from the cart path. This might mean hitting the ball off the path is the best option – so don’t move your ball until you know where you will drop.
Old wives tale #4: “In singles match play if a putt is conceded, but the player putts anyway and misses the putt – too bad, the miss counts.” W-R-O-N-G. I guess this expert never read Rule 2-4 which tells us that “A concession may not be declined or withdrawn.” Furthermore, the Rules of Golf allow a player to practice a putt after the conclusion of the hole. Rule 7-2(a).
Don’t fall for myth #5: Common thinking is that you cannot remove a water hazard stake when your ball lies in a water hazard, and that you are entitled to relief from an out-of -bounds stake as it is an obstruction. If you just reverse what you have heard about these two types of stakes, you will have it right.
Water hazard stakes are movable obstructions and as such they may be removed whether you ball is inside or out of the hazard. Movable obstructions are movable anywhere on the golf course. The difficult part about finding this information is that you back into the answer. Rule 24-1 tells us how to take relief from interference from a movable obstruction if a ball is either next to or lying on it. There is no qualifying statement restricting this relief on any particular part of the course. It is only when you read about immovable obstructions, Rule 24-2, that you learn the part of the course where the ball lies determines whether relief without penalty is allowed.
Stakes that define out of bounds are out of bounds and because of that they are not even classified under the Rules of Golf as obstructions. By definition, they are “immovable artificial objects.” There is no relief without penalty from that OB stake or fence. Play the ball as it lies or take the one-stroke penalty when you declare you ball unplayable under Rule 28.
Remember: When someone tells you a rule, ask to be shown the information in the Rules of Golf book. It will make everyone involved more knowledgeable instead of a victim of an Old Wives Tale.
if a flag stick or a golf club is lying on the green unattended, can it be moved out of the path of a ball that has been struck and in motion?
September 16th, 2007 at 4:35 pmHi David,
Equipment of the players may be moved without penalty. See Rule 24-1, but not a flagstick that is unattended.
September 27th, 2007 at 9:43 amGail;
October 19th, 2007 at 11:40 amThanks for some super information on Old Wives Tales. As always, your writing is concise and very clear. Thanks
Elvie
Elvie,
It is alwyas nice to know members are reading and enjoying the articles. Thank you for taking the time to write. I’ll see you on the coures one of these days.
Gail
October 19th, 2007 at 1:46 pmGail,
November 6th, 2007 at 10:13 pmIf a player putts his ball towards the hole, and it strikes another players ball on the putting surface that is not marked . Is their a penalty?, And which player or players receive the penalty?
Gail,
November 6th, 2007 at 10:16 pmIf a player putts his ball towards the hole, and it strikes another players ball on the putting green that has not been marked. Is their a penalty?, and which player or players receive the penalty?
Hi Larry,
In match play there is no penalty involved if a ball at rest on the putting green is stuck by another ball played from the putting green.
In stroke play, though, the person putting recieves a two stroke penalty. See Rule 19-5a.
Thanks for the question.
Gail
November 12th, 2007 at 8:47 amGail,
I am confused with your answer to David’s question about a penalty for moving a flag stick that is unattended on the green. I thought there was no penalty for moving a flag stick that is about to be struck by a ball now.
Thank you,
February 21st, 2008 at 12:21 pmJudy
After hitting a tee shot into a lateral water hazard may a player choose to hit another tee shot and may they use a tee?
March 20th, 2008 at 6:29 pmDear Robert,
One of the options of relief from a lateral water hazard is to play a stroke as nearly as possible from where the prior stroke was made with a penalty of one stroke. See Rule 26
When this stroke is to be played from within the teeing ground the ball may be teed. See Rule 20-5a.
Gail Rogers
March 24th, 2008 at 9:10 amDriector of Education
Gail, I have a rules question. While playing in an NCGA single player qualifier at my local men’s club, one of my playing partners continued to practice putting on each green after we finished playing a hole. My other playing partners and I were certain this was a violation. The suspect said that rule is for professional golfers only. I can see if it was a one day tournament, this could be possible. But there is no way he can do that in a two day tournament, is there? Thank you for your help. Jim Marinello
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:52 amHi Jim, During a round a player is allowed to practice putting or chipping at the putting green of the hole last played. This is Rule 7-2. Your fellow-competitor is correct the tours have a local rule that does not allow this practice as they are concerned about pace of play issues.
It should be noted that a player can not unduly delay play in making these practice putts.
Thanks for the question.
Gail
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:57 amWinthin the parameters of marking a ball while on the green Gail, can one use the toe of the putter holding it behind the ball, then pick up the ball, wipe it off, and then place the ball at the toe of the putt?
June 7th, 2008 at 7:48 amHi Frank,
Yes,that is allowed. This is one of the noted acceptable methods in Decision 20-1/16. It is acceptabel, but not he best practice.
Gail
June 9th, 2008 at 7:35 amI was playing in my club stroke play,and I hit a ball in a hazard but could not find my ball, my competitor said I had to go re-tee it up.This was a red stake hazard I never heard of this ruling, I always played as a two club relief. Please advise.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:39 pmIf it is “virtually certain” that the ball came to rest in the hazard, you should play the next shot as if it were found in the hazard. If it is not virtually certain, then it is a lost ball.
July 29th, 2008 at 9:51 pmIan,
You are correct.
Gail
July 31st, 2008 at 7:20 amGail,
November 23rd, 2008 at 11:48 amYesterday evening, my wife and I were watching the recorded third round of the LPGA ADT championship. Helen Alfredson was having a difficult time near the 18th green. She hit her fourth shot short of the green and the ball rolled the hill, gathering speed, toward the water hazard on the right. As the ball crossed the margin of the hazard, she intentionally caught the ball with her hand and picked it up. The short comment by the broadcaster later said there was no penalty assessed. My rules research is only able to find reference to a ball “accidentally” deflected. Please comment. Thanks
The out of bounds rule that was talked about said that play it as it lies. I thought that you need to hit a provisnial ball at the tee box or in the fairway. I didn’t think that you could play the ball from OB?
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:09 pmJerry,
In the case described above, the ball is in bounds, but the stake interferes with the player’s stance or area of intended swing. Therefore the player must play the ball as it lies or take relief by proceeding under the unplayable lie rule under penalty of one stroke.
April 5th, 2009 at 6:28 pmThank You
April 15th, 2009 at 11:23 ampar 3,from hte Tee box I sliced the ball right of the green in the bushes marked by red stakes about pin high.
cart path between the red stakes about a club lenght apart. if I drop my ball it will land on the cart path and bounce back into the hazzard, can I get relief from the cart path by dropping and catching the ball before it rolls back into the hazzard then place it where it first hit the cart path and then get relief from the cart path?
please advise
thx
roc starr
June 18th, 2009 at 10:15 amMr Starr,
According to Rule 20-3c, if a ball, when dropped, bounces into a hazard, it must be redropped. If it does it again, you would place it where it first struck the course. If that was on a cart path, you could take relief from the cart path at the nearest point of relief outside the hazard.
You can not catch the ball before it goes into the hazard. That would be a violation of Rule 1-2. Once it enters the hazard, if there was no chance it could come back out you could grab it before it stops and proceed as above.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:21 amOne common occurrence at my club: the green is on the other side of a river/creek. Often, a ball will fly over the river and roll back into the hazard. You would have to drop on this side of the river, since on the other side, any drop within two club lengths would put you closer to the hole than where the ball went in the hazard. Some might try to drop on the other side, assuming that they should drop where the ball went into the river.
June 23rd, 2009 at 1:21 amLove your column.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:13 amyou just stated that moving a flagstick lying on the green if it is going to be struck by a putted ball is a penalty under rule 24-1, however in the rules changes for 2008 you stated that you may lift the flagstick lying on the green in this case as an exception under rule 24-1. Please clarify.
Dan,
July 30th, 2009 at 9:44 amYou are correct that the rule changed in 2008. There is no penalty. That answer was written in 2007.