Playing out of turn - Strokeplay

Swinglowandslow

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You seem to want to have readers agree with you when most do not, and they do not because it's stroke play, therefore within the rules and what's more it is now encouraged as ready golf.
Go with the flow😀
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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I have been reading the new rule book and read on this question (sad but having not played any competitive golf for months or to the new rules I think getting back up speed and knowing the revised rules is useful). What is a bit unclear to me is - yes - in strokeplay we are to play "ready golf" (pedant alert - why double quotes by the way - single quotes for terminology shoorly :) ) - but the rules also say "unless the player furthest from the flag is ready to play" (I paraphrase but this is the gist I think). If I play before the player furthest from the green and being ready to play - then what?

Separately - I'm still not so sure about "ready golf" in strokeplay comps, as quite often strokeplay can turn into matchplay. I'm thinking specifically about multi -round strokeplay comps in which players are put out in reverse order for the final round - with players with lowest scores going out last and together.

For normal 'medal' single round strokeplay competitions I think 'ready golf' works well and does speed things up. I wasn't sure when it was announced but now realise that - other than as identified above - it doesn't (or shouldn't) make any difference to how I play - it really was just polite etiquette rooted in the origins of the game - and actually an aspect of etiquette that isn't that important in the vast majority of strokeplay rounds. Where it might is when I might decide to finish off a hole - then rush and miss such as a 6ft putt. But that is just my 'management of me'.
 
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rulefan

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1) If I play before the player furthest from the green and being ready to play - then what?

1) Separately - I'm still not so sure about "ready golf" in strokeplay comps, as quite often strokeplay can turn into matchplay. I'm thinking specifically about multi -round strokeplay comps in which players are put out in reverse order for the final round - with players with lowest scores going out last and together
1) Nothing. There is no penalty unless it was done to gain an advantage of some sort
2) Each round is an individual strokeplay round. There are no true matches involved.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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1) Nothing. There is no penalty unless it was done to gain an advantage of some sort
2) Each round is an individual strokeplay round. There are no true matches involved.

1) Then I am not clear why the rules say that that "ready golf" does not apply in strokeplay if the payer furthest from the flag is ready to play...unless it's just harking back to previous etiquette...
2) True - but sometimes what is in effect a matchplay situation can arise - but that didn't matter as order of play applied to strokeplay as it applies in matchplay.
 

duncan mackie

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1) Then I am not clear why the rules say that that "ready golf" does not apply in strokeplay if the payer furthest from the flag is ready to play...unless it's just harking back to previous etiquette...
2) True - but sometimes what is in effect a matchplay situation can arise - but that didn't matter as order of play applied to strokeplay as it applies in matchplay.
I can't find the reference you keep referring to in rule 6.4.
 

rulie

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In Rule 6.4b, Stroke Play, there are a lot of "shoulds" (recommendations only) and not many "musts" (normally a penalty for not following).
An example, "A player should not play out of turn to gain an advantage over other players." Note that it is not "must" not play out of turn to gain an advantage over other players.
 

Grant85

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a few points on this.

I'm sure there are no issues with this from a rules point of view. However if you are someone who is in the woods or the rough, then you are quite entitled to stay in the middle of the fairway until he has hit. This means you don't begin the 3 minute search until both your playing partners are helping.

And of course nothing to stop you doing similar if the roles are reversed.
 

rulefan

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if you are someone who is in the woods or the rough, then you are quite entitled to stay in the middle of the fairway until he has hit. This means you don't begin the 3 minute search until both your playing partners are helping.

That would almost certainly give rise to an unreasonable delay penalty
 

rulefan

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1) Then I am not clear why the rules say that that "ready golf" does not apply in strokeplay if the payer furthest from the flag is ready to play...unless it's just harking back to previous etiquette...
5.6b says
Playing Out of Turn to Help Pace of Play.
In stroke play, play “ready golf” in a safe and responsible way.
In match play, you and your opponent may agree that one of you will play out of turn to save time.
 

Colin L

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a few points on this.

I'm sure there are no issues with this from a rules point of view. However if you are someone who is in the woods or the rough, then you are quite entitled to stay in the middle of the fairway until he has hit. This means you don't begin the 3 minute search until both your playing partners are helping.

And of course nothing to stop you doing similar if the roles are reversed.

Rulefan has pointed to the possibilty of a penalty for unnecessary delay. I wonder if the principle behind this Interpretation might apply to what you propose.

Interpretation Lost/2 - Player May Not Delay the Start of Search to Gain an Advantage

The three-minute search time for a ball starts when the player or his or her caddie (or the player's partner or partner's caddie) starts to search for it. The player may not delay the start of the search in order to gain an advantage by allowing other people to search on his or her behalf.

For example, if a player is walking towards his or her ball and spectators are already looking for the ball, the player cannot deliberately delay getting to the area to keep the three-minute search time from starting. In such circumstances, the search time starts when the player would have been in a position to search had he or she not deliberately delayed getting to the area.
 

backwoodsman

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I think I'd suggest that Grant85 and ColinL are describing different situations? IMHO the interpretation covers a scenario where a ball is being actively searched for, and a player is trying to claim the search hasn't started - because he himself isn't yet looking. Whereas Grant85 describes a situation where no-one is actually looking for the ball. In that scenario, I think it is perfectly reasonable, for three minutes to elapse from when the group actually starts to look.
 

Colin L

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Yes, they are different situations which is why I am only wondering if the principle of the interpretation might apply. In Grant's situation, the player is deliberately delaying the start of his search not in order to gain additional search time but to gain the extra help of the other players. He is delaying in order to gain an advantage.
 

backwoodsman

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Yes, they are different situations which is why I am only wondering if the principle of the interpretation might apply. In Grant's situation, the player is deliberately delaying the start of his search not in order to gain additional search time but to gain the extra help of the other players. He is delaying in order to gain an advantage.
Or, you could look at it as him try to get equity?

Eg. Players A,B,C in Group 1 of the monthly medal all play wild (and wildly different) shots into the rough. All of them spend three minutes looking for A's ball, then 3 looking for B's and finally 3 looking for C's. All above board, and is fine & dandy - even if it's not a group to get stuck behind :) . But of players D,E,F in the following Group 2 , only D plays wild into the rough. Is it not equitable that he could/should have 3 players looking for 3 minutes?
 
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