Nobody knows the rules!

[bobmac]

Problem is that simply giving/getting a Ruling makes most of those who query 'happy'.

So how does anyone know that they should, or shouldn't, be happy with the Ruling a Pro, or anyone else for that matter, gives them.

Because the pro will be able to show the appropriate ruling in the rule book/decisions book. That's part of the reason the referees carry rule books with them in tournaments.
But if you'd rather ask the barman, feel free.

 

[CliveW]

Can you imagine how many rule questions the R AND A get every day?
If you have a question on a ruling, you should first contact your pro. If he/she doesn't know or you're not happy with their answer, you can ask them to double check it with R AND A

Before contacting the R & A, I did ask my pro, who as I stated earlier , is a qualified referee who has officiated in Ryder Cup matches, but he was unable to give a difinitive ruling.

Or post it in the Golf Monthly rules forum! Just a click away from here and you'll not go short of an accurate answer.

The queery came from an answer given in this very forum!

 

[Colin L]

The queery came from an answer given in this very forum!

Was that the one about declaring a provisional ball where it took an answer from the R&A to persuade you that the knowledgeable answers you had been given were correct?

 

[ManinBlack]

I'm surprised this took so long to get an answer that in my mind was fairly obvious anyway. I am not sure how saying to a FC, "that's where you were aiming" would ever be taken as advice unless the person about to hit the shot specifically asked, "am I aiming to the right" etc. If I had said that to a FC, how exactly would I benefit from it?

Because the fellow competitor may think "so that's why I'm hitting them all To the left, I thought I was coming over the top, I'll try aiming further right from now on" You could say that he played the rest of the round with the benefit of that advice. It would not have been obvious to him and the "advice" could improve his play for every shot of the round from then on. Not clear cut in my view at all.

 

[Foxholer]

The queery came from an answer given in this very forum!

Was that the one about declaring a provisional ball where it took an answer from the R&A to persuade you that the knowledgeable answers you had been given were correct?

There appears to be an opportunity in the Scottish economy for a 'Provider of Popcorn'!

 

[Colin L]

Nah - too much competition from the politicians.

 

[CliveW]

Was that the one about declaring a provisional ball where it took an answer from the R&A to persuade you that the knowledgeable answers you had been given were correct?

It related to that post, but wasn't discussed. Rather than raise the thread again, I decided to seek advice from the R&A as I couldn't find a definitive ruling. I am not going to re-open the issue.

 

[ManinBlack]

See title of thread. Looks like I don't know the rules either.

I got a reply from the R & A re my query as to whether a fellow competitor saying "That's exactly where you were aiming!" after an off line shot was advice. The R & A replied "In the same way as a player would not be penalised for casually making a comment regarding the club he had just played (see Decision 8-1/8), a player would not be penalised for making this type of casual comment."

So now we know.

For those who remember this thread, the R & A have changed their minds.

Queried it again and the reply this time was "I have discussed your query below further with my colleagues and I have to admit that they are in agreement with you that this type of statement would constitute as being advice. Going back to the principles in my previous e-mail below, saying to a player, ‘you aimed too far left’, or ‘that’s where you were aiming’ is offering an opinion which could influence a player in his method of making a stroke and this would therefore be a breach of Rule 8-1.