The seven most common Rules breaches at our club

[Backsticks]

Thanks Steven, thats a great list, and interesting on a variety of fronts.

1) I think it probably agrees with what would be the most broken rules in our club too. The only other ones that are routinely broken is the virtually certain element of a ball being in a hazard. We have several blind shots towards water and rough. People generally look for 3 mins (or more!), and if not found, draw the conclusion that it must be in the hazard and so take a drop. The other one is time to search. Three minutes would generally be exceeded.

2) I would know the rules better than all but a handful in our club. But I did not know three of your seven. Brushing away sand off the green, marking anothers ball without permission, and marking before identifying a ball.

3) All of those three though, are pretty inconsequential. And it begs the question if it worth having rules that are so trivial in their effect on the game, and so trivial that people probably dont know them. I am certainly not going to pull someone up for marking anothers ball without permission. We do it all the time and it keeps the game moving.

4) Advice goes on all the time. Particularly with fathers coaching teenage sons. But like point 7, I will continue to sign cards for those doing it. Acknowledging I am doing a disservice to others in the field, life is simply too short to bother with call on them to stop it. You are out for a social game. You may or may not know them that well. I couldnt be bothered.

5) On point 7 - the committee will never know anyway !

 

[KenL]

The not brushing sand off the green is famous, Rory suffered a penalty some years back for that.

Another I remember being penalised was someone replacing a divot on their line close to a green. Would that still be penalised?

 

[Swango1980]

Thinking you can drop a ball back on the line from whence it came rather than back on a line with the flag - had this a couple of times in recent weeks.

Also thinking that giving advice isn’t against the rules - but asking is!

Played with a guy at the weekend who was 100% convinced that the reference point was line back from where ball crossed margin and the GREEN. Myself and the other lad told him.it was the hole, not the green. He was having none of it, saying "no, many people think that, but it is actually the target of the player, which is the green". He still wasn't backing down when I jokingly said you could then drop pretty much a anywhere if you had greens like those in St Andrews.

Funny what gets in peoples heads

 

[KenL]

Oh, here's another two.
Playing a provisional when the ball is clearly on the beach, a penalty area at my club.

Then, "I'm going to reload/hit another" when they mean they are playing a provisional ball.

 

[Steven Rules]

Another I remember being penalised was someone replacing a divot on their line close to a green. Would that still be penalised?

Possibly/probably - but it is distance-, situation- and geography-dependent.

Reading just Rule 8.1a(3) would indicate a definite breach. A player must not improve the line of play by replacing divots in a divot hole.

This is supported by Interpretation 8.1a/1:

Examples of Actions That Are Likely to Create Potential Advantage
Examples of actions that are likely to improve conditions affecting the stroke (that is, likely to give a player a potential advantage) include when:
*A player repairs a pitch-mark in the general area or replaces a divot in a divot hole a few yards in front of his or her ball on the line of play before making a stroke that might be affected by the pitch-mark or divot hole (for example, a putt or a low-running chip).

But Interpretation 8.1a/2 introduces some greyness to the rule:

Examples of Actions Unlikely to Create Potential Advantage
Examples of actions that are unlikely to improve conditions affecting the stroke (that is, unlikely to give a player a potential advantage) include when:
*Before making a 150-yard approach shot from the general area, a player repairs a small pitch-mark, smooths a footprint in a bunker or replaces a divot in a divot hole on his or her line of play several yards in front of the ball.


My rule of thumb is to not make such improvements until after I have played my shot.

 

[Steven Rules]

Thanks, all, for that feedback and the additional suggestions. All very worthy comments and situations that I also recognise at our club.

Having said that, I suspect that the nature of our terrain and vegetation is such that breaches around KVC for penalty areas and three minute ball searches is not as prevalent at our club as at some others and so wouldn't make it into our top seven.

 

[theoneandonly]

Oh, here's another two.
Playing a provisional when the ball is clearly on the beach, a penalty area at my club.

Then, "I'm going to reload/hit another" when they mean they are playing a provisional ball.

I think the 2nd part is ok.

 

[Steven Rules]

I think the 2nd part is ok.

No it's not ok. This is a very common rule breach. Hence it is on the list.

Interpretation 18.3b/2

Examples of announcements that do not clearly indicate the player is playing a provisional ball and mean that the player would be putting a ball into play under stroke and distance include:
• "I'm going to re-load".
• "I'm going to play another".

 

[theoneandonly]

No it's not ok. This is a very common rule breach. Hence it is on the list.

Interpretation 18.3b/2

Examples of announcements that do not clearly indicate the player is playing a provisional ball and mean that the player would be putting a ball into play under stroke and distance include:
• "I'm going to re-load".
• "I'm going to play another".

Ah ok. I thought as long as my intention was clear I didn't have to actually say provisional.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

On 5) I have was not aware of this rule and indeed I broke it last Saturday. Playing companion at far side of green and a bit off it, he chips onto green and his ball ends up bang on my line. To keep play moving as it was my turn I marked his ball and set it aside. I putted and then put his ball back.

 

[RRidges]

Yes. Without a penalty attached, it is more like a point of etiquette. But it is a rule - and a commonly breached one.

I can't understand why - except during a search.

 

[RRidges]

Another common one is. if in the deep rough or high vegetation, moving growing material to improve your area of swing, be this through practice swings or just bending branches, plants etc out of the way..

That's heading into the realms of cheating imo

 

[Steven Rules]

On 5) I have was not aware of this rule and indeed I broke it last Saturday. Playing companion at far side of green and a bit off it, he chips onto green and his ball ends up bang on my line. To keep play moving as it was my turn I marked his ball and set it aside. I putted and then put his ball back.

A perfectly normal reason to mark another player’s ball. But the right (and polite) thing to do would be to first say something like "Is it ok if I mark your ball?"

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

A perfectly normal reason to mark another player’s ball. But the right (and polite) thing to do would be to first say something like "Is it ok if I mark your ball?"

Indeed…and I guess that normally I do…just that last time I don’t think I did as it was only momentarily moved…

 

[salfordlad]

Yes. Without a penalty attached, it is more like a point of etiquette. But it is a rule - and a commonly breached one.

I think this is a contestable view. There is no rule that says an unauthorized person cannot lift a ball they are not authorized to lift. And I do not think that is accidental on the part of the Ruling Bodies. So I do not see an "unauthorized" lift as a breach of any rule - it is just an adjective attached to "lift", with specific rules implications such as the ball's owner is not exposed to rules errors incurred in the process. And it is explicitly permitted in the special case of the 11.3 Exception on the putting green but, more significantly in my view, can at times be incredibly important in keeping the game moving when the ball owner is some distance away or caught up in something that prevents them getting to their ball. That said, I'm always for seeking authority first wherever practical, I think that is valuable protocol/etiquette - but I'm not going to get exercised by a rules-savvy fellow player marking and lifting my ball when there is good reason. What does irritate me severely though is the common, rules-ignorant behaviour of players that just willy nilly pick up any ball they find in a search situation when they are trying to identify the found ball. If you were to authorize any of these rules-ignorant folk to touch your ball you could be gathering multiple penalties.

 

[salfordlad]

10.2a says otherwise
10.2a. Advice
During a round, you must not give advice to anyone in the competition who is playing on the course,

I don't believe Dickinshorts was saying anything inconsistent with this.

 

[salfordlad]

Some more not yet explicitly identified:
1. Errors in replacing/placing a ball on a spot - on the putting green or anywhere (eg placing after drop, drop or when preferred lies is in place) - ball is positioned/let go but immediately moves slightly sideways (it did not come to rest before moving). That ball needs to be lifted and try again, it is in a wrong place despite the difference likely being utterly trivial. This is really common in preferred lies - player tries to get the ball to sit up on a juicy, elevated position but it immediately settles slightly to the side but player thinks that is still good and hits it. Rules say general penalty for wrong place.
2. Another placing error - player presses ball down slightly so it stays on spot without rolling away (breach of 8.2).
3. OOB issues - folk helping themselves to relief for interference with the boundary fence or not understanding that the OOB line draws on the inside line of fence posts (affects some courses much more than others).
4. Taking temporary water relief for muddy ground that does not meet the surface water test.
5. Taking GUR relief for machinery tracks (needs local rule) or for grass clippings spread in an area (eg around base of trees) when there is no intention for them to be subsequently removed by the greenkeeper.

 

[Colin L]

The not brushing sand off the green is famous, Rory suffered a penalty some years back for that.

You've misunderstood this a bit. McIlroy wasn't penalised for brushing sand off the green - that is permissible. The sand was on the fringe/apron which is in the general area not part of the putting green .

 

[KenL]

You've misunderstood this a bit. McElroy wasn't penalised for brushing sand off the green - that is permissible. The sand was on the fringe/apron which is in the general area not part of the putting green .

I did not misunderstand, I just did not write a clear statement.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Pressing the club down behind the ball when the club should be "grounded lightly".