Practice shot or testing green?

[Beezerk]

Back again with another query.
Played yesterday in 4BBB again, I never actually realised at the time as I was too busy avoiding the rain drops, but my pp said afterwards the other pair had a bit of a routine which happened on just about every hole. One lad would mark the others ball, then putt it back to him across the green. Is that taking a practice shot or testing the green?
What would the correct penalty be on the outcome? DQ maybe?
Tbf if I'd noticed it myself i wouldn't have said anything, it was a daft bottle trot in horrible conditions and the greens were a joke.
However I'd have to pull them in a regular season comp so I'd like to know the correct procedure should it arise in the future.

 

[louise_a]

Sounds like both practice (rule 7-2) and testing the surface (rule 16-1d) to me both incur 2 shot penalty or loss of hole if Matchplay.

 

[hovis]

i do this quite alot when tending the flag for a pp and he hits it stiff. i use the edge of my putter and bat it back to him and say '' thats good enough for me mate''.

however, in reality you are testing the green. i wouldn't dream of doing the above in a comp

 

[duncan mackie]

If he uses a putter and putting stroke then practice sticks unless he has already holed out.

Testing the green would depend on the individual situation; if he's simply returning the ball and it's nowhere near the part of the green that either he has his next putt on, or the putt his partner faces, then it's acceptable but any doubt would be ruled against the pair.

16-1d/1...1d/3 all have relevant points.

 

[woody69]

Sounds iffy. If I mark a ball for a partner, I'll pick it up and put it in my pocket, or just throw/hand it to him. If it's only once or twice though, I'd let it go.

 

[Beezerk]

OK just to make it a bit clearer.
From what I gather, we'd hit our shots onto the greens, one lad would go to his pp's ball, mark it and then hit it to him with his putter. It wasn't like he stood over the ball and made a proper putt stroke rather knock it over, but as the greens were being really hard to read with the water it gave them an advantage.
Normally I wouldn't be bothered but they were pulling all sorts of stunts throughout the round, giving incorrect scores, trying to get relief from the trees (close to but not in gur), improving lies in the rough even though winter rules at our place are fairways only. I gather both have come down quite a few shots this year, one has won 2 board comps with crazy scores.
Makes you wonder how they carry on in proper comps.

 

[guest100718]

OK just to make it a bit clearer.
From what I gather, we'd hit our shots onto the greens, one lad would go to his pp's ball, mark it and then hit it to him with his putter. It wasn't like he stood over the ball and made a proper putt stroke rather knock it over, but as the greens were being really hard to read with the water it gave them an advantage.
Normally I wouldn't be bothered but they were pulling all sorts of stunts throughout the round, giving incorrect scores, trying to get relief from the trees (close to but not in gur), improving lies in the rough even though winter rules at our place are fairways only. I gather both have come down quite a few shots this year, one has won 2 board comps with crazy scores.
Makes you wonder how they carry on in proper comps.

they sound like cheats

 

[chrisd]

They certainly need pulling up on these things for their, and everyone else's, benefit

 

[snell]

They certainly need pulling up on these things for their, and everyone else's, benefit

Once Beezerk gets some Cojones they will be :rofl:

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Sounds dubious on the greens, but improving lies in the rough is out and out cheating and I'd have called them for it. What happened to play it as it lies?

 

[lukeysafc100]

Bad lads! I find it weird some of the rules that are broke!

2 shot penalty for testing surface of green and Practice on a green! If not rectified by the time they mark the card - its DQ!

 

[Beezerk]

Bad lads! I find it weird some of the rules that are broke!

2 shot penalty for testing surface of green and Practice on a green! If not rectified by the time they mark the card - its DQ!

Strangely enough SAFC is linked to what happened at the weekend but I won't go there 😃
I've kind of had my suspicions about one of them for a while, I was behind his group during a comp earlier in the year, he was in every bush on the course and having a total nightmare, but lo and behold came in with 40 points. What happened on Saturday confirmed it.