What’s the ruling?
Previous Club Captain Peter Hall was accredited as a State Tournament Official with Golf Australia in 2013, and has provided refereeing services to many events at Heritage and other Golf Australia events, including the Victoria Open at 13th Beach.
During his time as Captain, Peter routinely published tips on how to apply the rules of golf in real-world situations.
Please see below for some current examples.
Tips regarding the Rules of Golf for Match Play
A summary of tips regarding the rules of golf for match play was put together to help all match play golfers.
To download a copy, please click on this button.
Rules Tip -Loose Impediments Used to Surface a Road
Gravel is a loose impediment and a player may remove loose impediments under Rule 15.1a. This right is not affected by the fact that, when a road is covered with gravel, it becomes an artificially surfaced road, making it an immovable obstruction. The same principle applies to roads or paths constructed with stone, crushed shell, wood chips or the like.
In such a situation, the player may:
• Play the ball as it lies on the obstruction and remove gravel (loose impediment) from the road (Rule 15.1a).
• Take relief without penalty from the abnormal course condition(immovable obstruction) (Rule 16.1b).
The player may also remove some gravel from the road to determine the possibility of playing the ball as it lies before choosing to take free relief.
A question from a member: Is the concrete base in our bunkers an immoveable obstruction and can relief be taken as per rule 16.1b.? The answer is yes. If your ball is in a bunker and resting on the base, which might be concrete or perhaps matting, rather than sand, then yes you are able to take relief from this as it is an artificially surfaced and becomes an immoveable obstruction.
Rules Tip – No Guarantee Ball Will Be Playable After Taking Unplayable Ball Relief (Rule 19.2)
When taking unplayable ball relief (Rule 19.2), a player must accept the outcome even if it is unfavourable, such as when a dropped ball comes to rest in its original location or in a bad lie in another location in the relief area:
· Once the dropped ball comes to rest in the relief area, the player has a new situation.
· If the player decides that they cannot (or does not want to) play the ball as it now lies, the player may again take unplayable ball relief, for an additional penalty, using any available relief option under Rule 19.
Rules Tip – Spot of Ball to Be Lifted and Replaced Must be Marked (Rule 14.1a)
Under Rule 14.1a, when a ball has to be marked so that it can be replaced on its original spot, there are only TWO ways to do this.
· Place a ball-marker right behind or right next to the ball, or
· Hold a club on the ground behind or right next to the ball.
If the spot is marked with a ball-marker, after replacing the ball, the player must remove the ball-marker before making a stroke.
The definition of a Ball-Marker is: an artificial object when used to mark the spot of a ball to be lifted, such as a tee, a coin, an object made to be a ball-marker or another small piece of equipment.
Scratching a mark such as “V” into the green, a bunker, or anywhere on the course, with a tee, as a way to mark the spot, is not allowed under the rules of golf. If a player does this as a way of marking the spot where their ball is to be replaced, then they have marked the spot in a wrong way and the player gets one penalty stroke.
Rules Tip – Dangerous Animal Condition – Rule 16.2
A “Dangerous Animal Condition” exists when a dangerous animal, (such as a snake, kangaroo, stinging wasps, or crocodile) near a ball could cause serious physical injury to the player if they had to play the ball as it lies.,
A player can take relief from this situation under Rule 16.2b anywhere on the course except if it was clearly unreasonable to be able to play the ball due to some other reason (for example ball lies in a bush) or due to the player choosing a club type, stance or direction of play that is clearly unreasonable.
Under Rule 16.2b, relief may be taken depending on whether the ball is in the general area, in a bunker or on the putting green. For example, if there is a snake in a bunker and your ball is in the bunker, you can take free relief from the snake, but you must play from the nearest point in the bunker where you would be safe. Or under 16.1c(2), under a one-stroke penalty, you can take relief outside the bunker straight back on the line between where the ball was at rest and the hole.
When the ball is in a Penalty Area free relief can be taken under Rule 16.2b(2), but the nearest point of relief and the relief area must be in the Penalty Area. Relief can be taken outside the Penalty Area under Rule 17.1d under a penalty of 1 stroke.
If the dangerous animal condition still exists after taking relief from the penalty area, additional relief can be taken.
Rules Tip – 4BBB Match Play – Order of Play – Rule 23.6
This is a rule that should be understood when playing in 4BBB match play competitions, as it could affect a team’s strategy.
Players A and B are competing against Players C and D. All players are on the green. Player A is 5 metres from the hole sitting at 2 strokes. Player B is 1.5 metres from the hole sitting at 4 strokes, and also on a line similar to Player A. Player C and D are both sitting at 2 strokes, and are 4 metres and 3 metres from the hole respectively.
Players A and B decide to let Player B play their stroke first as it will help Player A with the line. However, Players C and D concede Player B’s putt so that his score for the hole would be 5. Player B then proceeds and has a putt even though it was conceded. What happens now?
Rule 23.6 contains the exception to what happens when the play of the hole is continued after the stroke was conceded.
In this case, the conceded score for Player B stands no matter if the putt they make goes in or not, and player A’s score for the hole cannot count for the side.
Rules Tip – Determining the Nearest Point of Relief when a bunker is GUR
When taking free relief out of a bunker that has been declared as Ground Under Repair (GUR) there are two things to determine:
1. The Nearest Point of Relief (also called the reference point)
2. The Relief Area
The nearest point of relief is the estimated point where a ball would lie that is:
• Nearest to the ball’s original spot, but not nearer the hole than that spot
• In the required area of the course (for example, the general area) and
• Where the condition does not interfere with the stroke the player would have made from the original spot if the condition was not there.
Estimating this reference point requires the player to identify the choice of club, stance, swing and line of play the player would have used for that stroke. In taking full relief from a bunker that is GUR, the player would need to be taking a stance outside of the bunker, in the general area.
So in taking relief from a greenside bunker, the club the player was probably going to use might be a sand wedge, so that would be the club you would use to estimate the nearest point. BUT you do not have to use that club once you have dropped the ball in the relief area. You can use any club you like. For example, you might decide to putt the ball or to use a different club to do a low pitch and run.
Once the “reference point” is determined you then measure the relief area, which is the total area within one “club-length” from the reference point, in this case, no closer to the hole. A “club-length” is the longest club that you have in your bag during the round other than a putter. For most players, this is a driver. You must then drop the ball in this relief area and the ball must come to rest in the relief area.
The nearest point of relief will usually be different for a right-handed golfer vs a left-handed golfer.
Rules Tip – Breach of Rule for Leaving Helping Ball in Place aka “Backstopping”
In stroke play, under Rule 15.3a, if two or more players agree to leave a ball in place on the putting green to help any player, and the stroke is made with the helping ball left in place, each player who agreed gets two penalty strokes. A breach of Rule 15.3a does not depend on whether the players know that such an agreement is not allowed.
For example, in stroke play, before playing from just off the putting green, a player asks another player to leave their ball that is near the hole, to use it as a backstop. Without knowing this is not allowed, the other player agrees to leave their ball by the hole to help the other player. Once the stroke is made with the ball in place, both players get the penalty under Rule 15.3a.
The same outcome would apply if the player whose ball was near the hole offered to leave the ball in play to help the other player, and the other player accepted the offer and then played.
If the players know that they are not allowed to make such an agreement, but still do, they are both disqualified under Rule 1.3b(1) for deliberately ignoring Rule 15.3a.
But what if there is no actual agreement between the players, but “backstopping” occurs? The R&A recommends that in the Spirit of the Game, that it is all players’ responsibility in Stroke competitions to have a ball on the green marked if it is potentially a backstop for another player off the green .
In match play, players may agree to leave their ball in place to help an opponent since the outcome of any benefit that may come from the agreement affects only their match.
Rules Tip – Multiple Breaches From a Single Act Result in a Single Penalty
A single act may breach two different Rules. In this situation, one penalty is applied. In the case of two Rules with different penalities, the higher-level penalty will apply.
For example, a player presses down the grass behind their ball in play and improves the lie in the rough, accidentally moving the ball as well. This single act (that is, pressing down the grass) breached two Rules, Rule 8.1a (Actions That Improve Conditions Affecting the Stroke) and Rule 9.4b (Lifting or Deliberately Touching Ball or Causing it to Move) and only one penalty applies.
In this case, the penalty under Rule 8.1a is the general penalty and the penalty under Rule 9.4b is one stroke. Therefore, the higher-level penalty applies and the player loses the hole in match play or must add a total penalty of two strokes in stroke play under Rule 8.1a and the ball must be replaced.
Rules Tip – Ball Is In Penalty Area Even if Penalty Area Is Improperly Marked
(Interpretation of Rule 17.1)
If stakes defining a body of water as a penalty area are improperly located, a player is not allowed to take advantage of such an error by the Committee.
For example, a ball is found in an expanse of water that, because of the configuration of the ground, is clearly part of the penalty area but is outside the stakes and, thus, technically outside the penalty area. The player may not claim that the ball at rest in the water is in temporary water since a penalty area includes any body of water on the course, whether or not marked by the Committee (see definition of “penalty area”).
Rules Tip – Point of Maximum Available Relief
When taking free relief from an abnormal course condition in a bunker (Rule 16.1c) or on the putting green (Rule 16.1d) there may not be a nearest point of complete relief. In this case, you are allowed to take relief at the Point of Maximum Available Relief. This is the estimated point where a ball would lie that is:
· Nearest to the ball’s original spot, but not nearer the hole than that spot,
· In the required area of the course, and
· Where the abnormal course condition least interferes with the stroke the player would have made from the original spot if the condition was not there.
A good example of when this can be applied is when after a rainstorm, there may be a lot of temporary water on a putting green and water may be completely surrounding the hole. So there is no line to the hole that gives the player “complete” relief from the temporary water.
In this case, the ball can be moved to the point no nearer that hole, but where the line of play means the ball will only need to go through the shallowest or shortest stretch of temporary water.
Rules Tip – Combining Match Play and Stroke Play
The combining of match play and stroke play is discouraged as certain Rules are substantially different between the two formats. (Refer to “Tips Regarding the Rules of Golf for Match Play”). However, at Heritage, we do allow players to combine the two forms of play when the players will be playing the correct tees for their match play, and understand that the stroke play Rules apply throughout.
For example, no concessions are allowed and if one player plays out of turn, the other does not have the option of recalling the stroke.
So providing the players adhere completely to the Rules for the stroke competition, it is possible to also play a match during the same round. But in doing so, players give up being able to take advantage of Rules that are specific to Match Play, such as a concession and picking up the ball without the need to putt it out. And if playing in a 4BBB Match Play, partners cannot provide advice if they are also playing in an individual stroke event.
Rules Tip – Rule 8 Course Played as It Is Found
A central principle of the game of golf is “to play the course as you find it”. When the player’s ball comes to rest, they normally have to accept the conditions affecting the stroke and not improve them before playing the ball.
For example, in a bunker you cannot touch the sand with your club until you make your stroke at the ball. This includes not touching the sand on your backswing. Rule 12.2b(1).
And you cannot step on the area behind the ball in a bunker to help smooth down the sand.
Examples of actions that are not considered fairly taking a stance and will result in a penalty under Rule 8.1a if they improve the conditions affecting the stroke include:
· Deliberately moving, bending or breaking branches with a hand, a leg or the body to get them out of the way of the backswing or stroke.
· Standing on tall grass or weeds in a way that pushes them down and to the side so that they are out of the way of the area of intended stance or swing, when a stance could have been taken without doing so.
· Hooking one branch on another or braiding two weeds to keep them away from the stance or swing.
· Using a hand to bend a branch that obscures the view of the ball after taking the stance.
· Bending an interfering branch in taking a stance when a stance could have been taken without doing so.