Golf Rules and Etiquette

Handicap Scores

2010-07-19T04:17:00.000-07:00

Question:
Can I count my svore for handicap purposes if I don't putt out on every hole?

Answer:
The USGA accepts the recording of gimmes in friendly play when recording scores for handicap purposes. If a player's putt is conceded or she has a gimme, the player must count the stroke or strokes and record the score she most likely would have made if she had played out the hole. The "most likely score" may not exceed the player's Equitable Stroke Control limit, defined in Section 4-3. This "most likely score" should be preceded by an "X." (See Decision 4-1/1 of the Handicap System Manual.) Competition is different. Rule 3-2 states: "If a competitor fails to hole out at any hole and does not correct [her] mistake before [she] makes a stroke on the next teeing ground or, in the case of the last hole of the round, before [she] leaves the putting green, [she] is disqualified."

Clearing a path for swing

2010-07-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

Question:
Can I trample grass, break tree branches or bend weeds when setting up to my ball (as long as the ball doesn't move)?

Answer:
Your swing may look like you're wielding a scythe, but that doesn't mean you can clear the course like an Old West pioneer. Tall grass, bushes and trees are there because they're part of the design. Rule 13-2 reads: "A player must not improve or allow to be improved the position or lie of her ball, the area of her intended stance or swing, her line of play or a reasonable extension of that line beyond the hole, or the area in which she is to drop or place a ball, by moving, bending or breaking anything growing or fixed (including immovable obstructions and objects defining out of bounds)." Translation: If it's growing, be careful. You are entitled to take a stance, but don't bend any living organism beyond what is necessary to set up to the ball and make a stroke. If a branch is broken--or a bunch of leaves are knocked down--with a practice swing, add two strokes to your score.

Relief from a sprinkler head

2010-07-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

Question:
Am I entitled to relief without penalty from a sprinkler head near the putting green if it interferes with my line of play?

Answer:
You may take relief from a sprinkler head only if it interferes with your stroke or stance. According to Rule 24-2a: "Interference by an immovable obstruction occurs when a ball lies in or on the obstruction, or when the obstruction interferes with the player's stance or the area of her intended swing...Otherwise, intervention on the line of play is not, of itself, interference under this Rule." So just because you're putting from the fringe and the sprinkler head is on your line, you don't get a free drop. The possibility of your ball ricocheting off a sprinkler head does not mean you can take relief either. Suck it up, grab the wedge and chip over it.

Lifting a ball to identify

2010-06-29T04:45:00.000-07:00

Question: Can a player lift her ball anywhere on the course to identify it?

Answer: There is a one-stroke penalty for moving a ball at rest without announcing and marking it, no matter where on the hole it is. Rule 18-2b states: "If the player, [her] partner or either of their caddies lifts or moves [the ball], touches it purposely (except with a club in the act of addressing it) or causes it to move except as permissed by a Rule; or equipment of the player or [her] partner causes the ball to move, the player incurs a penalty of one stroke." That goes for the fairway, the rough and the putting green. Telling your playing partners, "Let me just check to see if this one is mine," won't let you dodge a penalty. Stick a tee in the ground next to the ball, life the ball and identify it as yours, then place it back in its original position.

Additional clubs allowed in bunker?

2010-06-07T04:45:00.000-07:00

Question:
Is placing or dropping my clubs in a bunker prior to making my stroke from the hazard against the rules?

Answer:
You can place your entire bag in the bunker if you want, as long as you do not ground your club, test the conditions of the hazard or improve your lie (Rule 13-4, exception 1). Testing the conditions would consist of using a club to determine the texture, dampness or weight of the sand. In other words, you can't improve your chances of getting the ball out of the bunker. For you clumsy types, the exception also states: "...there is no penalty if the player (a) touches the ground in any hazard...as a result of or to prevent falling, in removing an obstruction, in measuring or in retrieving, lifting, placing or replacing a ball under any Rule or (b) places [her] clubs in a hazard."

In Myrtle, moms play for free on Mother's Day:Golfdigest.com

2010-04-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

In Myrtle, moms play for free on Mother's Day:Golfdigest.com

Someone moved my marker on the green..

2010-04-14T07:44:00.000-07:00

Question:
I hit my ball out of a bunker, marked it and then went back to rake the sand. After I'd returned to the green, replaced my ball and holed my putt, my playing partner informed me she had moved my marker, which had been in her line. I hadn't move it back because I didn't know it had been moved. Is there a penalty?

Answer:
Because you did not know that your ball marker had been moved, you should not have incurred a penalty (see Rule 18-1 and Decision 18-1/3). Had you known the marker had been moved and forgot to move it back, you would have been penalized two strokes.

Saturation Point - Ruling

2010-03-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

Question:
A ball comes to rest in a fairway but is sitting in water that has overflowed from the nearby water hazard. What is the ruling?

Answer:
Any overflow of water outside the margin of a water hazard is considered "casual water" (see Decision 25/2), defined as an accumulation of temporary water that is visible before or after you take your stance. Take relief by locating the nearest point of unsaturated turf and drop, without penalty, within one club-length.

Brunswick Beacon News, Sports, Entertainment and information for Brunswick North Carolina

2010-03-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

Brunswick Beacon News, Sports, Entertainment and information for Brunswick North Carolina

Golf Tip for the Week!

2010-03-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

Looking for a great golf swing and a picture-perfect golf shot?

It all begins with the right grip...One of our teaching professionals, Lori, Joan or Gary can help you explore a number of grip options, but the 'TIP' to remember is always be sure to close the 'V's' of both hands.

The 'V' is between your index finger and your thumb. Keep it closed, and you'll avoid unnecessary movement during your swing, allowing you to make solid contact with the ball!

Get the Drop in your Game

2008-08-07T16:03:00.000-07:00

Skip is about to take a drop because her ball came to rest on a yardage marker. What’s wrong with this picture? If you spotted the fact that she is about to drop incorrectly (below shoulder height), you would be correct. You could call this the ‘heavy ball syndrome’. Skip drops incorrectly from the waist.

According to The Rules of Golf a golfer must stand erect, hold the ball at shoulder height and arms length away from the body and then drop. If the ball is dropped by any other person or in any other manner and the error is not corrected before the next stroke is made, the player incurs a one-stroke penalty. A player may re-drop in the correct manner to avoid the penalty stroke.

In the picture to the left, Skip makes a correct drop to the side. Remember, you may not spin the ball or use an underhand toss of the ball in the process of dropping it (Decision 20-2a/2 under the USGA Rules of Golf). It does not matter if the extended arm is out to the side or in front of the body. She may face any direction she wishes as long as the golfer’s posture is correct and the ball strikes the appropriate part of the course.

In this picture, Skip actually has her back to the target green and her arm is extended shoulder height in front of her body. She is about to make a correct drop.

So the next time you are playing golf with your friends and one of them has to take a drop in the rough, watch out for that “heavy ball syndrome.” The player may start out correctly with her arm at shoulder height, but as she looks at the deep rough from which she will be playing her next shot, the ball gets heavy and the arm gets lower until she finally lets go of the ball at about waist-height. Don’t be afraid to suggest that she re-drop the ball correctly to avoid the penalty stroke.

When is a Swing a Stroke?

2008-08-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

We know that if we take a swing at the ball with intention to hit it, and then miss it entirely, we are charged with a stroke. So when is a swing not a stoke?

Definition: A stroke is the forward movement of the club with the intention of striking at and moving the ball.

With this definition in mind, consider two situations:

A player's ball lies in tall grass. The player starts her downswing and the club is deflected by the grass and the ball is untouched by the club during the swing.

A player is distracted by some outside force and takes an abnormal complete swing at the ball. Tiger Woods, as seen on television (due to some distraction)has been able to stop the downward motion of his swing on the teeing ground prior to contact with the ball.

In the first situation, the players has full intention to strike the ball and move it. The fact that the grass deflected the club does not matter. The stroke is counted. Another point to remember; if a stroke is made on the teeing ground, the player may not adjust the tee or ball as the ball is in play after a stroke.

In the second situation, the player has recognized that she is not prepared to strike at the ball; the swing is unintentional. Therefore, the second condition of the definition has not been satisfied. There is no stroke. However, if there is any doubt that intention ceased during the downswing, the decision is resolved against the player.