Rules Help

[MIKE1218]

I need some help with a few rules questions on a rules test for golf team. It has to be handed in tomorrow, and the coach said he won't give us a penalty if we ask advice. The rule has to be quoted.

Two teammates are on parallel holes, one player hits his drive down the fairway, the other slices into the same fairway. The balls are right next to each other. The balls are indistinguishable. What do you do?

A player completes a nine hole match making nine 5's. His marker enters 5's for the first eight holes and then enters 45 in the ninth hole area. The player looks at his scorecard and sees 45 as his total that he knows is correct and signs it. Is he disqualified or is his score 85?

A player is looking for his ball in the rough. He finds a ball and gently rotates it to look for his markings. The player is careful the ball does not move off the spot where it lay. The player identifies the ball as his own. Was he supposed to inform his fellow-competitor before he moved the ball?

Thanks for any help guys, and please no guesses, I need the rule quoted with any answers.

[SunnyDaze]

A good place to start is:

http://www.usga.org/playing/rules/pdf/2008ROG.pdf

For the third one, I believe that 12-2 would cover it (he must annouce it to his competitor)

For the second one I think 6-6d covers it - I think he signed for a score higher than what he shot, which is OK, but it stands.

I hope I got these right. Good luck with the first one!

[MIKE1218]

I did the other 47 with my rulebook and I used the usga site as well for the decisions questions. These three I wasn't sure of. I think you are right, he must announce it. I will take a look at 6-6d as well. Thanks!

Anybody have an idea for the first one?

[Sandpiper3]

First one, players SHOULD have had distinguishable markings...

But they determine, with the help of the playing partners which they believe to be whose, and play on.

(#3) To determine if the ball is yours, u must declare it to your playing partner (or scorer at least), and mark it, and lift it just enough to clarify if its yours. Then must be put back in the exact same position without cleaning the ball or altering your original lie.

The 2nd one makes no sense to me. Dont worry about totals at all, just make sure hole by hole is right, noone can add properly after grinding 18, let the scorers worry about the adding, make sure the 3 on 14 is a 3 and the 7 on 4 is a 7, plain as that.

[Sandpiper3]

A player completes a nine hole match making nine 5's. His marker enters 5's for the first eight holes and then enters 45 in the ninth hole area. The player looks at his scorecard and sees 45 as his total that he knows is correct and signs it. Is he disqualified or is his score 85?

His score would be 85. That would be the funniest thing ever.

[SunnyDaze]

On the first one: I believe that 12-2 says that it is the players responsibilty to identify which ball is his. If he cannot identify the ball as his and plays it, then it would be a wrong ball. Both players would be penalized. But that's just my interpretation.

[MIKE1218]

Probably a fairly easy mistake to make, you look at the total and see your score, after a long match you might not notice it's in the wrong box. Sounds like a sneaky trick to play on your opponents...

[Sandpiper3]

If they both can come to agreement upon whose is whose, its good until someone comes forward with proof they hit the wrong ones. Until then its just hearsay and arguing, but no penalties.

[MIKE1218]

Originally Posted by SunnyDaze

On the first one: I believe that 12-2 says that it is the players responsibilty to identify which ball is his. If he cannot identify the ball as his and plays it, then it would be a wrong ball. Both players would be penalized. But that's just my interpretation.

I am thinking it's 12-2 as well... I will ask the coach about that one.

I think sandpiper is right, your good until it is proven that the wrong ball was played.

[Sandpiper3]

Im right, ive gone through it, and used rule 12-2 to make sure its my ball plenty of times.

You are aware you cannot use rule 12-2 in a hazard right? That if u hit the wrong ball out of the hazard, there is no penalty, but u still have to go back and find yours

[DaGris]

1.......with 100 different balls on the market, that will probably never happen.........heck, if they are right next to each other, who cares?!

2. 85! in 9 holes! boy! he sucks!!!

3. Good lord!.......if my buddy wants to make sure it his ball, I dont care! pick it up, clean off the mud, move a rock or two, put it back down in the same place and give it a wack!

[sidewinder]

Originally Posted by Sandpiper3

You are aware you cannot use rule 12-2 in a hazard right? That if u hit the wrong ball out of the hazard, there is no penalty, but u still have to go back and find yours

Sandpiper3,

You better study up on the new rules for 2008! You can no longer play the wrong ball in a hazard and not be penalized. See Rule 12-2and Rule 15-3 for details.

S-

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by MIKE1218

I need some help with a few rules questions on a rules test for golf team. It has to be handed in tomorrow, and the coach said he won't give us a penalty if we ask advice. The rule has to be quoted.

Two teammates are on parallel holes, one player hits his drive down the fairway, the other slices into the same fairway. The balls are right next to each other. The balls are indistinguishable. What do you do?

A player completes a nine hole match making nine 5's. His marker enters 5's for the first eight holes and then enters 45 in the ninth hole area. The player looks at his scorecard and sees 45 as his total that he knows is correct and signs it. Is he disqualified or is his score 85?

A player is looking for his ball in the rough. He finds a ball and gently rotates it to look for his markings. The player is careful the ball does not move off the spot where it lay. The player identifies the ball as his own. Was he supposed to inform his fellow-competitor before he moved the ball?

Thanks for any help guys, and please no guesses, I need the rule quoted with any answers.

If you can't identify your ball, by definition it is lost. Both players must proceed under Rule 27-1. This is the decision:

27/10 Player Unable to Distinguish His Ball from Another Ball
Q. A and B hit their tee shots into the same area. Both balls were found but, because A and B were playing identical balls and neither had put an identification mark on his ball, they could not determine which ball was A’s and which was B’s. What is the ruling?


A. Since neither player could identify a ball as his ball, both balls were lost — see Definition of “Lost Ball.”


This incident underlines the advisability of the player putting an identification mark on his ball — see Rules 6-5 and 12-2.

For #2, I need to know why you are keeping a stroke card for a match. This is not within the intent of Match Play, and match play rules do not contemplate returning an incorrect card.

For #3: Read Rule 12-2. He incurs a 1 stroke penalty if he fails to follow any part of the correct procedure for identifying his ball. He must first declare his intent to his opponent or fellow competitor, then he must mark the ball before he touches it. He can then lift the ball, but he cannot clean it any more than absolutely necessary for identification. Then the ball must be replaced.

[Eracer]

Well done Fourputt.

[MIKE1218]

Thanks everyone! And sorry for the confusion fourputt, the second situation is stroke play, not match play. If it was match play I wouldn't have asked the question.