Penalty in a medal competition

[Professor]

I was in a three ball playing in a medal competition at the weekend. One of the three ball (not me) left his put about 1 inch from the hole and knocked the ball away with his putter in the act of "giving himself the putt". He was new to competitions and we had warned him twice there were no gimmees. We let him off as there was no danger of him winning but what was the correct penalty? Replace the ball and two shot penalty or effectively disqualification as he had effectively quit the game (we were not on hole 18)

 

[brendy]

Professor,
Welcome aboard, first of all he needs to learn so he should have been dq'd had he not replaced the ball and taken his penalty.
The rule straight from the rule book:
3-2. Failure to Hole Out
If a competitor fails to hole out at any hole and does not
correct his mistake before he makes a stroke on the next teeing
ground or, in the case of the last hole of the round, before he
leaves the putting green, he is disqualified.
Second, signing his card with an inaccurate score could also have you see as contributing to this and at worst, hawled up in front of the committee. My advice would be to play by the rules in future, that way you cannot be questioned and you can refer anyone else to them in black and white.

 

[Professor]

Thanks. I didn't sign his card as he was marking mine - and he beat me by one shot! The only positive is that he did get a handicap cut as he was playing off a bandit 28! I would not be so generous next time.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I actually think the handicap cut actually compounds your error in not getting him D/Q'd

 

[JustOne]

Little consolation it might be but I've done this once to a friend who didn't tap in a 1 inch putt on the 13th - he was DQ'd upon hitting his next tee shot. Painful experience for sure... he was 3 under at the time. We are still friends though but BOY it is certainly a friendship test

 

[slugger]

I remember i did this in my first ever medal last year. On the 4th at our club and i was about 1" from the hole and scooped my ball up. The guy we were with went nuts and said i should be disqualified. We agreed that since it was my first medal and i never knew that all i was guilty of was being naive. I nr'd the hole (and therefore the card) but continued so at least i got a game in!

I feel there's so many rules to this game that a little more effort should be made to help beginners settle in to what is a great sport, and even at our level, very competitive. Beginners (no matter what age) should be encouraged and going off at them can just make them feel like quitting the game - i know i contemplated it as i never took the sport up just to be shouted at for not knowing a rule by a complete stranger.

Now... can i ask about an infringement in the medal we played in last night. We're not allowed to go out in any more than a threesome for comps (is this the general rule?), but on the last 4 or 5 holes, 2 groups of 2 from a couple of groups ahead of us, joined up to make a foursome. They held up play and we ended up finishing in almost dark conditions. Would they have been DQ'd at your club? They weren't last night, but i think that's only because no-one official saw them do it. I heard that people have been DQ'd for doing this previously.

 

[bobmac]

Surely as long as you correct your mistake, ie replace your ball, take your penalty and hole out before hitting your next tee shot or leaving the 18th green, there is no need for disqualification?

 

[freddielong]

I can't beleive that people have done this surely it obvious that you have to put the ball in the hole, Its what the game is about, imagine watching a footballer round the keeper have an open net and then just pick the ball up and say I would have scored then so thats 1 nil.

 

[bobmac]

I suppose if you play match play and gimmies most of the time, then a lapse in concentration is understandable.

 

[viscount17]

what is the ruling if it is your opponent who picks up your ball?

 

[bobmac]

The ball is simply replaced without penalty

 

[slugger]

I can't beleive that people have done this surely it obvious that you have to put the ball in the hole, Its what the game is about, imagine watching a footballer round the keeper have an open net and then just pick the ball up and say I would have scored then so thats 1 nil.

When i did it, the only golf i had played previously was in bounce games where gimmes were given quite frequently when your ball is only a few inches from the hole. Quite easy for a first timer to do, as i proved. Never done it since though, and i refuse to pick my ball up in bounce games now, i always hole out - ever since that day.

With the football thing, you wouldn't give your opponents a goal in a bounce game either just because they are close to the goal. I can't think of any other sport that you get given a point or score for not getting the ball in the hole/net.

 

[freddielong]

Sorry Slugger I didn't mean to have a go its just not holeing out to me is like sex without the climax its good but there is no satisfaction

 

[KeefG]

Little consolation it might be but I've done this once to a friend who didn't tap in a 1 inch putt on the 13th - he was DQ'd upon hitting his next tee shot. Painful experience for sure... he was 3 under at the time. We are still friends though but BOY it is certainly a friendship test

With friends like you, who needs enemies huh?

 

[Fyldewhite]

All three competitors should be disqualified....

Rule 1-3 Agreement to Waive Rules
Players must not agree to exclude the operation of any Rule or to waive any penalty incurred.
PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 1-3:
Match play – Disqualification of both sides;
Stroke play – Disqualification of competitors concerned.
(Agreeing to play out of turn in stroke play – see Rule 10-2c)

 

[John_Findlay]

Have to agree with Fyldewhite, I'm afraid. You just can't go waiving the rules cos' he's a newbie to the game.

The fact that the guy got a handicap cut possibly means someone else missed a buffer zone. His score maybe had an effect on the CSS for the day. It's unfair on the others in the comp, not just his playing partners. That's the whole point behind the rule quoted.