Rules

[Nick777]

Hi guys , played against a guy today who I think broke a rule ! He had a 18 inch put , but before he putted he used his hand to flatten the grass around the hole ,and smoothed the inner edge as well ! ,
what is the rule ? We were playing match play , he sank the putt

cheers nick

 

[chrisd]

Hi guys , played against a guy today who I think broke a rule ! He had a 18 inch put , but before he putted he used his hand to flatten the grass around the hole ,and smoothed the inner edge as well ! ,
what is the rule ? We were playing match play , he sank the putt

cheers nick

He should be hung, drawn and quartered!

Seriously, he lost the hole as soon as he started gardening, you can't press stuff down.

 

[Nick777]

He should be hung, drawn and quartered!

Seriously, he lost the hole as soon as he started gardening, you can't press stuff down.

Thanks just saved me 50£

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Thanks just saved me 50£

You guys play for £50 without even knowing the rules?!?!

 

[Colin L]

Nick
The Rule he broke was 13-2 by improving his line of play - just in case you need to give a reference.

http://www.usga.org/workarea/linkit.aspx?linkidentifier=id&itemid=14278

 

[palindromicbob]

With the recent hoo haa with Simon Dyson pressing down a spike mark on his line I think that the answer should be obvious. Did he pull out a mini roller as well?

I wouldn't pull him on 13-2 though as 16-1 in directly related to this incident.

http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Rule-16/

 

[rulefan]

Thanks just saved me 50£

It cost Dyson €30,000

 

[Colin L]

With the recent hoo haa with Simon Dyson pressing down a spike mark on his line I think that the answer should be obvious. Did he pull out a mini roller as well?

I wouldn't pull him on 13-2 though as 16-1 in directly related to this incident.

http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Rule-16/

Yes, it is obviously a 13-2 breach, but I think you are right in making 16-1a the more directly applicable rule.

 

[BTatHome]

As an aside, when a flag has partially come out of the hole and made an impression on the side of the hole, is it acceptable to repair the hole 'before' putting (not withstanding the getting the committee to repair the damage part of the ruling).

Just wondering what the definition of 'materially damaged' and 'proper dimensions' of the decisions are.

 

[woody69]

As an aside, when a flag has partially come out of the hole and made an impression on the side of the hole, is it acceptable to repair the hole 'before' putting (not withstanding the getting the committee to repair the damage part of the ruling).

Just wondering what the definition of 'materially damaged' and 'proper dimensions' of the decisions are.

As far as I am aware, no you cannot. You can only repair after all players have putted out.

 

[Spuddy]

As far as I am aware, no you cannot. You can only repair after all players have putted out.

If the committee aren't available and the hole dimensions have materially changed then you can repair it

 

[rulefan]

As far as I am aware, no you cannot. You can only repair after all players have putted out.

16-1a/6

DamagedHole; Procedure for Player

Q. Prior to putting, a player discovers that the hole has been damaged. What is the proper procedure?

A. If the damage is not clearly identifiable as a ball mark, then:
(a) If the damage is such that the proper dimensions of the hole have not been changed materially, the player should continue play without repairing the hole. If he touches the hole in such circumstances, a breach of Rule 16-1a occurs.
(b) If the proper dimensions of the hole have been changed materially, the player should request the Committee to have the hole repaired. If a member of the Committee is not readily available, the player may repair the damage, without penalty.
If a player repairs a materially damaged hole when a member of the Committee is readily available, he incurs a penalty for a breach of Rule 16-1a.

 

[BTatHome]

Thanks rulefan for quoting but it doesn't change my questions (as I had already read the decision, and it led to my questions). What do those definitions mean? Does damage from a flag pole on the side of the hole justify me repairing the damage BEFORE?

Btw. This idea of being "readily available" is another piece of wooly terminology that just adds complexity to these decisions when playing in a Sunday medal at a typical club.

 

[pogle]

Thanks rulefan for quoting but it doesn't change my questions (as I had already read the decision, and it led to my questions). What do those definitions mean? Does damage from a flag pole on the side of the hole justify me repairing the damage BEFORE?

Btw. This idea of being "readily available" is another piece of wooly terminology that just adds complexity to these decisions when playing in a Sunday medal at a typical club.

I think you're making this more difficult than it really is. Has the damage materially affected the dimensions of the hole? Well, agree amongst yourselves. If you think it has, then is a member of the Committee within waving distance? Probably not if it's a Sunday club medal so one isn't readily available, then you can repair it yourself.

Only certain terms have a definition under the rules of golf - the rest of the words should be interpreted as standard English.

 

[rulefan]

Thanks rulefan for quoting but it doesn't change my questions (as I had already read the decision, and it led to my questions). What do those definitions mean? Does damage from a flag pole on the side of the hole justify me repairing the damage BEFORE?

Btw. This idea of being "readily available" is another piece of wooly terminology that just adds complexity to these decisions when playing in a Sunday medal at a typical club.

Surely 'materially damaged or altered' implies that the damage would affect whether a ball is likely to fall in when otherwise it wouldn't or be prevented from falling in when otherwise it would. Pretty straightforward.

'Readily available', whilst subjective, can be interpreted to mean without a delay that will cause problems to the following field. As with other things in the rules, it cannot be precise. If the rule said within 1 minute, would 1m 10s be too long? If it said the official had to be within 100 yards, would 120 yards be too far?

Of course when playing the typical Sunday medal, there are no officials available, readily or not.