What's the worst rules cock-up you've seen?

[bobmac]

I was waiting to tee off in an open competition many years ago when there was delay on the first tee of at least 10-15 mins.
After a while, the starter heard a noise/chattering coming from the 18th green. He went to have a look and found 6 or 7 bored competitors doing some chipping and putting onto the green to pass away the time. Needless to say they were a bit miffed when they were told they were all DQ'd.

Still, they'll never do it again

 

[Maninblack4612]

Heard of a player in contention in a local club championship. Came to the 18th green to find his ball resting against the flag. He pushed the flag with his putter but, instead of going in, the ball rebounded about 3" away. He knocked the putt in and sought a ruling. The ruling was that he incurred a penalty for moving the ball & another for not replacing it & playing it from the wrong place. He lost the championship by one shot.

 

[duncan mackie]

Heard of a player in contention in a local club championship. Came to the 18th green to find his ball resting against the flag. He pushed the flag with his putter but, instead of going in, the ball rebounded about 3" away. He knocked the putt in and sought a ruling. The ruling was that he incurred a penalty for moving the ball & another for not replacing it & playing it from the wrong place. He lost the championship by one shot.

yep terrible ruling - there's no penalty for moving the ball here as 17-4 gives you explicit permission to do so (and doesn't specify how so using putting OK). It's still 2 shot penalty- but for a breach of 17-4 which requires the ball to be placed on the lip of the hole.

 

[Bobmysterkaymer]

Played and lost a matchplay on Friday, lost a hole due to rakeing the bunker because someone playing before was to lazy to do it after themselves, it was nowhere near my ball but was before I played my shot therefore loss of hole 'idiot!'
#schoolboyerror

 

[PIng]

Played and lost a matchplay on Friday, lost a hole due to rakeing the bunker because someone playing before was to lazy to do it after themselves, it was nowhere near my ball but was before I played my shot therefore loss of hole 'idiot!'
#schoolboyerror

I thought the rules changed last year to allow this as long as you're not improving your lie or testing the surface?

 

[Maninblack4612]

Played and lost a matchplay on Friday, lost a hole due to rakeing the bunker because someone playing before was to lazy to do it after themselves, it was nowhere near my ball but was before I played my shot therefore loss of hole 'idiot!'
#schoolboyerror

Sure this isn't against the rules now, recent revision. No time to look it up just now. Someone else will, no doubt.

 

[duncan mackie]

Played and lost a matchplay on Friday, lost a hole due to rakeing the bunker because someone playing before was to lazy to do it after themselves, it was nowhere near my ball but was before I played my shot therefore loss of hole 'idiot!'
#schoolboyerror

as both Ping and Maninblack think, the reality is that provided this was done soley to care for the course and wasn't on your line of play there is no penalty (and you are positively encouraged to do this!)

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Sure this isn't against the rules now, recent revision. No time to look it up just now. Someone else will, no doubt.

That was what I was going to say. As long as you are caring for the course I.e. raking footprints in another part of the bunker and not testing the surface then you are ok.

 

[Foxholer]

Played and lost a matchplay on Friday, lost a hole due to rakeing the bunker because someone playing before was to lazy to do it after themselves, it was nowhere near my ball but was before I played my shot therefore loss of hole 'idiot!'
#schoolboyerror

Indeed, schoolboy error. But because there's no penalty for this - 'nowhere near my ball'!

Changed from a penalty for 2012-15.

 

[pbrown7582]

Played and lost a matchplay on Friday, lost a hole due to rakeing the bunker because someone playing before was to lazy to do it after themselves, it was nowhere near my ball but was before I played my shot therefore loss of hole 'idiot!'
#schoolboyerror

Oops not quite the #schoolboy you first thought!

 

[Bobmysterkaymer]

I'd love to know the exact ruling on this. It's too late now, but even if it's to tell my opponent for his future reference.
I've had a quick look in the randa app but couldn't see anything.
Cheers

 

[6inchcup]

i and millions witnessed a terrible one by a certain MR E WOODS but for some reason no one there saw it least said the better

 

[duncan mackie]

I'd love to know the exact ruling on this. It's too late now, but even if it's to tell my opponent for his future reference.
I've had a quick look in the randa app but couldn't see anything.
Cheers

you want exception 2 to rule 13-4

"2. At any time, the player may smooth sand or soil in a hazard provided this is for the sole purpose of caring for the course and nothing is done to breach Rule 13-2 with respect to his next stroke. If a ball played from a hazard is outside the hazard after the stroke, the player may smooth sand or soil in the hazard without restriction"

 

[CMAC]

3 handicapper, club championship, ball in rough, takes practice swing beside ball and clips it 4 feet forward.

Replaces it and declares "it's ok, no penalty as it was a practice swing and not trying to hit the ball"

 

[Bobmysterkaymer]

you want exception 2 to rule 13-4

"2. At any time, the player may smooth sand or soil in a hazard provided this is for the sole purpose of caring for the course and nothing is done to breach Rule 13-2 with respect to his next stroke. If a ball played from a hazard is outside the hazard after the stroke, the player may smooth sand or soil in the hazard without restriction"

Thanks

 

[chrisd]

I wandered into the clubhouse and asked some players how their 4bbb had gone, I think it was about quarter final stage. One player said that one of the opponents had turned up late, about halfway through the game, and proudly announced that they had told him to clear off ( I cleaned that up a bit) as he couldn't join mid round.

I put them right on the rules and the 7 handicapper was gobsmacked. They also didn't know that if the missing golfer were the lowest handicap the would have played off his h/c and also that in ignorance of the rule the result stood as it had been posted on the result sheet.

 

[Pathetic Shark]

Mate's club championship couple of years back - guy pulls his ball into serious Viet-Cong rough left of a par-3 green. Looks for it for a few minutes and then states "no worries, I'll just drop one here" and lobs a ball on to the fringe. Chips dead and puts 4 down on his card. Turns out he won the net championship stroke play event by a shot.

Year before, same club, kid who won the junior event got a two-shot penalty for something out on the course. Club Captain announced to everyone "don't worry, we wouldn't have applied it if it had affected the results".

 

[49neil]

Mate's club championship couple of years back - guy pulls his ball into serious Viet-Cong rough left of a par-3 green. Looks for it for a few minutes and then states "no worries, I'll just drop one here" and lobs a ball on to the fringe. Chips dead and puts 4 down on his card. Turns out he won the net championship stroke play event by a shot.

Year before, same club, kid who won the junior event got a two-shot penalty for something out on the course. Club Captain announced to everyone "don't worry, we wouldn't have applied it if it had affected the results".

that's not a rule cock up, that's cheating....

 

[cookelad]

Mate's club championship couple of years back - guy pulls his ball into serious Viet-Cong rough left of a par-3 green. Looks for it for a few minutes and then states "no worries, I'll just drop one here" and lobs a ball on to the fringe. Chips dead and puts 4 down on his card. Turns out he won the net championship stroke play event by a shot.

that's not a rule cock up, that's cheating....

Either incredible ignorance or flat out cheating! (My money's on the latter!)

I can't believe no-one said anything?

 

[Bobmysterkaymer]

I wandered into the clubhouse and asked some players how their 4bbb had gone, I think it was about quarter final stage. One player said that one of the opponents had turned up late, about halfway through the game, and proudly announced that they had told him to clear off ( I cleaned that up a bit) as he couldn't join mid round.

I put them right on the rules and the 7 handicapper was gobsmacked. They also didn't know that if the missing golfer were the lowest handicap the would have played off his h/c and also that in ignorance of the rule the result stood as it had been posted on the result sheet.

Is it right that the late partner could join in the match at the start of the next hole?