How strictly do you enforce the rules?

[muttleee]

I'm sure we all stick rigidly to the rules of golf ourselves but I sometimes wonder how strict we are with playing partners/opponents etc? On occasion I've pointed out minor infringements to people only to be told off for being so fussy.

A friend of mine once claimed a hole in a foursomes match when one of our opponents tapped in a tiddler putt out of turn before we had the chance to give it. The guy who hit the putt was mortified at his schoolboy error but his partner was furious that we didn't let him off with it. I was pretty new to the game at the time but my more experienced partner said rules were rules and that's all there was to it. Were we being unreasonable? The rest of the round was played in a frosty atmosphere, to say the least!

 

[Gasp]

Mut your friend was wrong. You cannot claim a hole because your opponent has played out of turn, all you can ask him to do is take it again.

 

[stevelockie]

That's an interesting scenario Muttleee!

Personally I wouldn't have claimed the hole, I may have mentioned it to him though.
Tapping in a small putt out of turn wasn't going to have any impact on the outcome of the match compared to a host of other "indiscretions"

I've pointed out things to high handicappers/newer golfers when I've played with them in medals, but not always penalised them with a penalty as they are newbies.

 

[muttleee]

Mut your friend was wrong. You cannot claim a hole because your opponent has played out of turn, all you can ask him to do is take it again.

Gasp, that's true in strokeplay but not in matchplay. Rule 29.2 says:

"If a player plays when his partner should have played, his side loses the hole."

Order of play is crucial in foursomes!

 

[Gasp]

Mut I bow to your knowledge, but I was thinking of the solheim cup when Anika holed from off the green but the Yanks made her replace it because it wasn't her turn. She then had to play it again after her oppos had played. She didn't lose the hole though because of it.

 

[Gasp]

I'm an arse I didn't read the post properly and didn't realise you were talking about 4somes. Will now repair to the back room and whip myself soundly

 

[muttleee]

Gasp,

I know the situation you're talking about but that was a different set of circumstances from the one I'm referring to.

Annika's problem was that she played before her opponents even though they were further away from the hole than she was. Normally, the rule is that whoever's furthest from the hole plays first, as I'm sure you know. Even though Annika's ball was closer to the hole than that of her opponents, it was off the green so she thought it was ok for her to play up. This is what normally happens in tour events. The Americans decided to recall her shot because technically she had played out of turn. They could have let it stand if they'd wanted to but since Annika had holed her chip, they decided not to. Annika then blubbed because they were being rather unsporting ninnies.

In the case I'm talking about, one player in a foursomes pairing played 2 shots in a row, even though the whole point of foursomes is that it's an alternate shot format. The second shot was only a tiny putt which we would have given if we'd had the chance, but when he tapped it in before we gave it, it became a breach of the rules.

Ahhhhhhh, easily done, Gasp!

 

[Atticus_Finch]

Last year in a match I was playing in, my opponent teed off and I followed after. Just after I teed off however, my opponent informed me that we had both hit from the wrong tee.
He said that he had noticed as I was on the top of my backswing and it was too late to stop me.
We both agreed that neither of us had an advantage and we played on as normal. It's always niggled me from that moment if we did the right thing or not.

Did we?

 

[USER1999]

No, you should have played again from the corect tee, but hey, who cares as long as you are both happy.

That will stir up a hornets nest.

We aren't professionals, and whilst I'd love to think I abide by most of the rules, I still think there is room for a bit of common sense to speed up play sometimes.

It is easy to think you are law abiding, and strictly enforce the rules, but how many of us actually know enough to really enforce them. Have you ever tried to enforce a rule, and then subsequently found out you were wrong?

If we consult the rule book every ten minutes, we are going to be out there a long time.

 

[John_Findlay]

Atticus, it's classed as playing from outside the teeing ground;-

Rule 11-4. Playing from Outside Teeing Ground

a. Match Play
If a player, when starting a hole, plays a ball from outside the teeing
ground, there is no penalty, but the opponent may immediately
require the player to cancel the stroke and play a ball from within
the teeing ground.

b. Stroke Play
If a competitor, when starting a hole, plays a ball from outside the teeing
ground, he incurs a penalty of two strokes and must then play a ball
from within the teeing ground.
If the competitor makes a stroke from the next teeing ground without
first correcting his mistake or, in the case of the last hole of the round,
leaves the putting green without first declaring his intention to correct
his mistake, he is disqualified.
The stroke from outside the teeing ground and any subsequent strokes
by the competitor on the hole prior to his correction of the mistake do
not count in his score.

11-5. Playing from Wrong Teeing Ground
The provisions of Rule 11-4 apply.


If you were in matchplay then you were ok to agree not to penalise each other. Your opponent could have been nasty and asked you to play again, though. All in all, I think the right thing was done, eh?

 

[viscount17]

I like to think I play by the rules but I don't know enough about them yet; some are still a little arcane.
How many of us though don't take the 'stroke and distance' penalty every time it occurs but just take a drop and the penalty stroke. tbh changing this penalty would speed up play.

 

[John_Findlay]

What's wrong with playing a provisional to speed up play? Oh, sorry, I forgot. No-one does that anymore. Ooooh, it makes me mad.

 

[DCB]

"The Spirit of the Game

Unlike many sports, golf is played, for the most part, without the supervision of a referee or umpire. The game relies on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players and to abide by the Rules. All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the game of golf."

Taken from Section 1 of the Rules.

Sums it up quite nicely I think.

 

[medwayjon]

I adhere to the rules to the letter and expect any playing partner to do the same.

I cannot tolerate bending the rules in any way, shape or form whatsoever.

 

[DCB]

I can remember playing in a friendly inter club fousomes match some years ago years back and calling a penalty upon myself as I had inadvertantly moved the ball while preparing to putt.We lost the hole and our match in the end.

One of the older members came up to me back in the cluhouse and said that I had done the right thing. (Our opponents that night hadn't seen the infringement and had asked if I was sure etc.) The old guy said something that has stuck with me ever since, "they may not have seen it and may not have known, but you knew". I've remembered that ever since.

 

[viscount17]

DCB, I can't disagree with you and think your action admirable. I just hope that as I learn the rules better I would do likewise.

 

[medwayjon]

It really gripes me when someone makes an infringement and doesn't call it.

I was playing pool sat night, the guy I played touched the cue-ball when lining up and didn't call it. I pulled him up as did another guy and he denied it flatly. Idiot.

The most common one I have seen is golf is people doing a bit of gardening in a bunker.

 

[MVP]

I've pointed out things to high handicappers/newer golfers when I've played with them in medals, but not always penalised them with a penalty as they are newbies.

thats a fair call but in most other circumstances rules are rules!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I try and be as tolerant as I can with newbies but have recently pointed out to a couple of guys that the new rule books are out (available with our fav mag) and so there no excuse not to get one at least as a point of reference if you are unsure.

The one that really gets me is the guy who doesn't quite know the rule. He knows he might be able to get relief i.e. casual water but has no real idea what constitutes such and then spends ages jumping down on one spot trying to make out the ground is sodden etc

 

[Leftie]

Don't forget that knowing the rules can be to your advantage as well.

In a medal round, one of the guys I was playing with put his drive on the 1st out right onto a path. Local rules allowed a free drop. The drop was taken at the nearest point of relief which, as it happened, was waterlogged. The nearest point of relief from that spot was not back on the other side of the path but on the fairway.

Needless to say, from an impossible shot off the path, he had a clear shot to the green.

The moral is Learn the rules and enforce them.

Having said that, for you rules officianos, see new thread.