Reducing penalties

[rulefan]

To clarify--this is a current rule?

This was introduced in 2017 as an optional Local Rule (but clubs are strongly encouraged to use it). It will be a substantive Rule from 2019.

It only applies on the putting green - not through the green or elsewhere.

 

[North Mimms]

This was introduced in 2017 as an optional Local Rule (but clubs are strongly encouraged to use it). It will be a substantive Rule from 2019.

It only applies on the putting green - not through the green or elsewhere.

Thanks.
I was playing with someone, just a holiday friendly comp, and she replaced her ball on green after nudging it at address. She's pretty good on rules so I assumed it was OK.
I'll check local rules at my club cos I would call a penalty on myself if I did this in a formal comp (until next year!)

 

[rulefan]

I can't really imagine why a club would not have introduced it as a local rule. Unless they didn't know about it.

 

[cliveb]

My club certainly knows about it but chose not to adopt it. I don't know why not.

 

[rulefan]

Well they won't have a choice in six months

 

[berniethebolt]

Well, I wouldn't engage your services as a sociologist.

What I hope you and your newbie friend will come to appreciate is that most penalties in golf arise from situations the player did not intend, situations which were accidental. The usual reason for a penalty is that the disallowed action might lead to an advantage over your opponent or the others in a stroke play field. Sometimes no advantage will accrue, but the penalty ensures that overall, any advantage is compensated for (on behalf of the others) by that penalty. In the particular example of accidentally moving your ball in play, the potential advantage lies in the fact that replacing is not necessarily exact and so it could be that after replacing you have a slightly better lie.

So there you are, the next time the subject crops up, you will have a better answer than just because the rules say so.

Proverbs 29:9

 

[DonW468]

I find that penalty for exceeding 14 in match play is the loss of hole for each hole on which the breach occurred, up to a maximum of two holes.

 

[CliveW]

I must have misunderstood the changes. I was under the impression that accidentally moving your ball through the green would incur no penalty, which I interpreted would include knocking it with a practice swing or when addressing it. Please can someone give us the exact wording?

From January 2019 there will be no "Through The Green". There will be five areas of The Course.
The General Area which covers the entire course except for these four specific areas.
The Teeing Area of the hole you are playing.
All penalty areas
All bunkers
The putting green of the hole you are playing.
It is important to know the area of the course where your ball lies as this affects the Rules that apply in playing your ball or taking relief.

 

[chrisd]

I wish they had changed the rules sooner. On Sunday, on a par 3 I incurred penalties for running over my ball in the rough with my trolley wheel although I couldn't see the ball, and also, moving my ball accidentally with my putter when practice putting. Oh can't recall ever being penalised for either rule breaches before, and certainly not for both whilst playing the same hole. Roll on 2019

 

[Colin L]

Chris,
A local rule was made available last January which takes away the penalty for accidentally moving your ball on the putting green. Did your club not adopt it?

 

[chrisd]

Chris,
A local rule was made available last January which takes away the penalty for accidentally moving your ball on the putting green. Did your club not adopt it?

To be honest Colin I hadn't checked as I've not fallen foul of the problem before. As it was a Stableford on a non stroke hole I was unlikely to score unless I sunk the putt following the first penalty and subsequent chip on in any case.

 

[user2010]

I've never understood why golfers have to be that close to their ball when taking a practice putt.?!?!

 

[jim8flog]

I wish they had changed the rules sooner. On Sunday, on a par 3 I incurred penalties for running over my ball in the rough with my trolley wheel

This would still incur a penalty in 2019 onwards.

 

[rulefan]

I wish they had changed the rules sooner. On Sunday, on a par 3 I incurred penalties for running over my ball in the rough with my trolley wheel although I couldn't see the ball, Roll on 2019

There is no penalty when the player accidentally causes the ball to move while trying to find or identify it

 

[chrisd]

There is no penalty when the player accidentally causes the ball to move while trying to find or identify it

Only from 2019?

 

[rulefan]

Only from 2019?

Yes

 

[jim8flog]

There is no penalty when the player accidentally causes the ball to move while trying to find or identify it

Clearly a grey area - is walking with your trolley to the area that the ball might be in part of the search or is it not?

 

[rulefan]

You are (were) only deemed to be searching when you reached the vicinity of where you expected the ball to be.

I haven't checked the new Interpretations

 

[mikejohnchapman]

Chris, always ask the starter when we play in a tourbn
A local rule was made available last January which takes away the penalty for accidentally moving your ball on the putting green. Did your club not adopt it?

This is a nightmare - can't wait for it to become a rule.

I always ask the starter when we play in a tournament whether it's in play. Only once were they able to do so. Apart from England Golf competitions (where it's included in the hard card) when they have checked, the majority of clubs I have played have not implemented the local rule.

I played at a GM Top 100 course last week and we had this incident occur - starter didn't know, pro didn't know and the secretary had left. Nothing on the notice boards so we had to assume it wasn't in play.

Roll on the new rules,

 

[rulefan]

At the EG presentation today, the audience was asked which of their clubs had introduced the LR. I didn't count the hands but certainly a lot hadn't !!!!