Teeing Area Rules

[AliMac]

Hi Guys. My query is as follows:-
In matchplay, Player A incorrectly tees up outside the teeing area and then drives his ball out of bounds. Player B points out the mistake and decides not to cancel the stroke, so, Player A must take a "stroke and distance" penalty and play his second shot from the tee area. It's my understanding that Player B is not allowed to tee up his second ball - he must drop it in on the tee (Rule 14.6). It's also my understanding that if Player B was not aware of this requirement and teed the ball up before driving then he would suffer a "loss of hole" penalty. Am I correct or have I just lost the plot completely??!!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I think you mean Player A all the way through? (apologies if not, I may not have understood correctly)

I was at a rules night recently. I'm pretty sure the man taking it said that if you are on the teeing area you can tee it up at all times, even if you skim the ball and it drops off the tee, rolls forward 2". You then tee it up there. One of the proper Rulies will be along shortly to give you chapter and verse.

 

[doublebogey7]

Like LT I am assuming you are referring to Player A all the way through.

As player A has taken stroke and distance then he must play his next shot from where he played his first. As his first stroke was from outside the teeing area, then his third stroke will also be from outside the teeing area and therefore he is not able to tee it up.

 

[Spuddy]

Precisely this scenario is covered by interpretation 6.1b(1)/1

 

[AliMac]

Hi Guys. My query is as follows:-
In matchplay, Player A incorrectly tees up outside the teeing area and then drives his ball out of bounds. Player B points out the mistake and decides not to cancel the stroke, so, Player A must take a "stroke and distance" penalty and play his second shot from the tee area. It's my understanding that Player B is not allowed to tee up his second ball - he must drop it in on the tee (Rule 14.6). It's also my understanding that if Player B was not aware of this requirement and teed the ball up before driving then he would suffer a "loss of hole" penalty. Am I correct or have I just lost the plot completely??!!

Sorry, my mistake, I should have said "Player A" in the third sentence.

As his first stroke was from an illegal location (ie outwith the teeing area) I don't think it would be appropriate that this be repeated with his second stroke. I would have thought that his second stroke should be from where he should have played his first stroke (ie the teeing area), but that he must drop the ball (refer to Rule 6.1b(1) Interpretations).

 

[Colin L]

As above. The opponent did not require the stroke from outside the teeing area to be cancelled and so the player must play under stroke and distance for the ball out of bounds [Rule 18.2b]. The relief area for dropping his ball is one club-length from the spot or estimated spot where he played his previous stroke [Rule 14.6b]. That spot is outside the teeing area.

All very neat and simple until you think of the situation where the original teeshot was made with the ball only a couple of centimetres outside the front of the teeing area. Since the relief area has to be in the same area of the course as the reference point (i.e. the spot where the ball was played from), it will be tiny and it could be difficult to hit with your drop - and you will be there dropping and re-dropping until you get one to hit the target. And if that one doesn't stay in the relief area, you could again be there dropping and re-dropping until you get one to hit the target. Finally, it doesn't matter if that dropped ball doesn't stay in this tiny relief area - you have reached the stage of placing it. Make sure your torch has fresh batteries in it.
Just as well we're not dropping from shoulder height now.

 

[Colin L]

Sorry, my mistake, I should have said "Player A" in the third sentence.

As his first stroke was from an illegal location (ie outwith the teeing area) I don't think it would be appropriate that this be repeated with his second stroke. I would have thought that his second stroke should be from where he should have played his first stroke (ie the teeing area), but that he must drop the ball (refer to Rule 6.1b(1) Interpretations).

You just need to change your understanding of that first stroke. Because making the stroke outside the teeing area was accepted by the opponent, the player's ball is now his ball in play. See the Definition of "In Play":

A ball first becomes in play on a hole:
When the player makes a stroke at it from inside the teeing area, or
In match play, when the player makes a stroke at it from outside the teeing area and the opponent does not cancel the stroke under Rule 6.1b.