Zach Johnson Testing the Surface; Rory McIlroy Brushing the Surface

Two similar Rules incidents, with different outcomes, served to highlight what a player may and may not do to test and brush the surface of the grass before making a stroke.

There were a few hasty, uninformed comments about Zach Johnson incurring a penalty at the Humana Challenge last Sunday. Apparently, he was seen on camera brushing the grass on the fringe of the green from where he was preparing to chip. One person that was watching this on TV was US Solheim Cup golfer, Christina Kim, who tweeted;

Fortunately, someone must have put her right because a little while later she tweeted;

Not quite an apology to the unfortunate Zach Johnson, who obviously knows the Rules better that the ebullient Christina.

Her confusion probably arose from a misunderstanding of where a player may and may not test the surface. Most players know that they may not test the condition of a hazard (Rule 13-4a) or the surface of a putting green (Rule 16-1d), but there is nothing in the Rules to stop a player testing the surface through the green, providing that in doing so they do not improve the lie of their ball, their area of intended stance, or line of play (Rule 13-2). I have not been able to view this incident, but it is certain that Zach Johnson’s ball was on the fringe of the green and it likely that he was feeling the direction of the grain of the grass a few feet away from his ball. Apparently, his hand motions, lightly brushing the grass, were parallel to his intended line of pitch.

Today, as I was writing about the above incident, I was informed that Rory McIlroy had just incurred a penalty of two strokes for brushing sand off the fringe of the putting green of the 9th hole in Abu Dhabi. His ball was close to a bunker, a few feet away from the putting surface and he clearly bent down and brushed sand away from his intended line of putt. The Rules are clear; through the green players are permitted to brush the grass to remove grass cuttings and other loose impediments from around their ball, even on their line of play, but they are only permitted to brush away loose soil or sand that lie on the putting green. The reason for this is that the Definition of Loose Impediments states that sand and loose soils are loose impediments on the putting green, but not elsewhere. A Rules lesson learned the hard way for Rory!

I heard Sky Sports commentator, David Livingstone, speculate that the sand that Rory brushed away was probably there as a result of the bunker stroke that his other fellow competitor, Tiger Woods, had just made. I very much doubt that this was the case, because if it was Rory would have been unjustly penalised by the referee. Decision 13-2/8.5 states;

Q.A's ball is on the apron between the green and a bunker. A's partner, opponent or fellow-competitor (B) plays from the bunker and deposits sand on and around A's ball. Is A entitled to any relief?

A.Yes. A is entitled to the lie and line of play he had when his ball came to rest. Accordingly, in equity (Rule 1-4), he is entitled to remove the sand deposited by B's stroke and lift his ball and clean it, without penalty.

It’s not just professional golfers that need to brush up on their Rules, professional commentators should try to do so as well!

Good golfing,

The above content is strictly copyright to Barry Rhodes © 2012 and may not be copied without permission.

Attending the Flagstick

Warren Little / Getty Images

I have noticed that when I give presentations on the Rules of Golf to Clubs one of the questions that is regularly raised is whether a player can ask for the flagstick to be attended when they are playing their ball from off the putting green. The answer is an unequivocal, Yes. Rule 17-3 states;

Before making a stroke from anywhere on the course, the player may have the flagstick attended, removed or held up to indicate the position of the hole.

Of course this does not mean that players should emulate Phil Mickelson who, in January last year, on the last hole at Torrey Pines, sent his caddie, ‘Bones’ Mackay to attend the flagstick when he was still almost 90 yards from the hole. He needed an eagle to tie the Farmers Insurance Open and nearly pulled it off with a splendid pitch that landed on the sloping green and rolled back, stopping a few feet short of the hole.

Another question regularly asked is whether the person can stand anywhere in relation to the hole when attending the flagstick. The answer is that they can. Don’t listen to those that wrongly claim that the attendant must not stand behind the hole while the putt is made. However, it is good etiquette not to stand on the player’s line of putt, or an extension of that line behind the hole, or on the putting lines of any other player in the group that has still to play. Another point of etiquette to be aware of on a sunny day is to ensure that your shadow is nowhere near the hole, or any point on the player’s line of putt.

Here is a related point that many golfers may not be aware of from Rule 8-2b;

When the player's ball is on the putting green, the player, his partner or either of their caddies may, before but not during the stroke, point out a line for putting, but in so doing the putting green must not be touched. A mark must not be placed anywhere to indicate a line for putting.

Decision 8-2b/2 illustrates two different circumstances where the player would be penalised. Note the subtle difference between the caddie placing his foot in order to point out the line and taking his position at the flagstick and subsequently using his foot as a guide;

Q. A player's ball lies on the putting green and his caddie attends the flagstick for him. The caddie suggests, before the stroke, that the player aim at the caddie's left foot. Is the player in breach of Rule 8-2b?

A. If the caddie had placed his foot in position for the purpose of pointing out the line for putting, the player was in breach of Rule 8-2b as soon as the caddie placed his foot in that position. The breach could not be corrected by the caddie subsequently moving his foot.

If the caddie did not initially place his foot in such a position for the purpose of pointing out the line for putting but subsequently suggested the player aim at his left foot, the player would be in breach of Rule 8-2b if the caddie did not move that foot to another position that does not indicate a line for putting prior to the stroke.

The same answer would apply if a player's partner attends the flagstick for him.

It is a good practice for the person attending the flagstick to partially remove it from its anchor at the base of the hole prior to the player making a stroke. The flagstick should be rested on the base of hole-liner with care being taken not to damage the circumference of the hole.  This prevents the possibility of the the flagstick becoming 'stuck' and accidentally lifting the hole-liner as the ball approaches the hole.

Good golfing,

 

The above content is strictly copyright to Barry Rhodes © 2012 and may not be copied without permission.

Addressing the Ball

One of the most welcome amendments to the Rules of Golf, effective 1st January 2012, is the new definition of addressing the ball. It might help if we look first at both the old and the new definitions;

Previous Definition of Addressing the Ball;

A player has “addressed the ball” when he has taken his stance and has also grounded his club, except that in a hazard a player has addressed the ball when he has taken his stance.

Current Definition of Addressing the Ball;

A player has “addressed the ball” when he has grounded his club immediately in front of or immediately behind the ball, whether or not he has taken his stance.

You will see that there are two main differences; the removal of stance as a requirement and the introduction of the word “immediately”.

With the benefit of hindsight, the removal of the stance prerequisite now seems an obvious simplification to the Rules in that most players do not ground their club for a stroke until they have completed their stance. Note that when a player’s ball lies in a hazard they are now not going to address their ball at all in the vast majority of cases, as stance is no longer a requirement and you may not ground your club in a hazard (bunker or water hazard). I say the vast majority of cases because you are permitted to ground your club on an immovable obstruction situated in a hazard (e.g. a bridge in a water hazard, Decision 13-4/30), and you are permitted to ground your club outside of a hazard if your ball lies just inside the margin of the hazard.

It is less obvious why the second change to the definition has been introduced and it has already created much discussion and disagreement between Rules experts. How far is “immediately” in the phrase “has grounded his club immediately in front of or immediately behind the ball”? Does two inches (5 centimeters) qualify, or does it mean “any closer and it would be touching the ball”, as has been suggested by authoritative sources connected with the USGA? In my opinion, the player in the photo above has not grounded their club “immediately” behind their ball and so they have not addressed their ball. This is bound to cause a lot of arguments and I am very surprised that the Ruling Bodies did not clarify the introduction of the word “immediately” with a relevant Decision.

A related change to the new Definition of Address is the revised Rule 18-2b, Ball Moving after Address;

If a player’s ball in play moves after he has addressed it (other than as a result of a stroke), the player is deemed to have moved the ball and incurs a penalty of one stroke.

The ball must be replaced, unless the movement of the ball occurs after the player has begun the stroke or the backward movement of the club for the stroke and the stroke is made.

Exception: If it is known or virtually certain that the player did not cause his ball to move, Rule 18-2b does not apply.

A principle behind this Rule was that it was more than coincidence if a ball moved after the player had taken the action of addressing it. They were penalised on the assumption that either the placing of their feet or the grounding of their club was the cause of the ball moving, without any external factors being taken into account. There have been several high-profile incidents over the past four years where it was blatantly obvious that it was wind that caused a ball to move and not the player. This inequity has now been resolved. However, note that the amendment to the Rule is not a ‘get out of jail free’ card; it must be known or virtually certain that the player did not cause their ball to move.

In my opinion both of these amendments have helped to simplify and remove inconsistencies from the Rules of Golf.

Good golfing,

The above content is strictly copyright to Barry Rhodes © 2012 and may not be copied without permission.

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Lifting a Ball in Play - Retief Goosen

I know that many readers find it easy to remember golf rulings when they see, or hear, about other players’ breaches, especially if they are highly-paid Tour Pros. I recently came across this YouTube video of an incident concerning Retief Goosen, on the 17th hole of his first round in the 2006 South African Open. I find the whole 4+ minutes clip interesting as it shows Retief making some very strange club decisions, as discussed by the two commentators. However, the frames relating to the subsequent Rules issue are where he marks his unplayable ball dropping area at 1:46 mins and where the dropped ball first strikes the course at 2:51 mins.
 
After completion of his round Retief Goosen was advised by European Tour senior referee, Andy McFee, that he had been penalised two additional strokes for re-dropping a ball that was in play after his first drop and so playing from a wrong place (Rule 20-7).

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhIYk8VpUw8

In the frame below, taken from the video, I have attempted to stop the sequence at the point where Retief’s dropped ball first hits the ground and have identified the place where he had previously marked the two permitted club-lengths with a red X, as his tee marker is not visible to us. In my opinion, having replayed this clip several times, I think that the penalty was harsh and would probably have given the player the benefit of the doubt. In fact, the two strokes penalty gave him a total of 11 strokes on this one hole, a sextuple bogey! Amazingly, he came back with a birdie on the last hole of his first round and was the eventual winner of the four-day event.

It is hard to know what Retief Goosen was thinking. It appears from his actions that that he was trying to see if his dropped ball had come to rest within the two club-length arc of where it was in the bush, rather than checking the relevant point as to whether it had first hit the course within the permitted two club-lengths. This seems to be confirmed by Andy McFee, who  commented;

"He thought he had to re-drop. But you only do so if it rolls more than two club lengths from where it strikes the ground. His ball didn't do that, and it also didn't roll nearer the hole so his ball was in play. As soon as he picked it up to re-drop he incurred a one-stroke penalty. If he replaced it on the exact spot from where he lifted it, it would've stayed a one-stroke penalty. But because he didn't replace it, it became a two-stroke penalty and the nine became an 11."

Good golfing,



The above content is strictly copyright to Barry Rhodes © 2012 and may not be copied without permission.

If you are looking for a handy reminder of the main amendments to the Rules of Golf for 2012 - 2015 please click on this link. You are welcome to print out the notice and post it on the notice board of your Club or Society.

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A New Year Rules Riddle

Over three years ago, just a week after I commenced writing my weekly blog, I posed this Rules teaser;

On a par 3 a player scores a hole-in-one with a ball other than the original ball that he played on that hole. How can this happen within the Rules of Golf?

Here is a link to that blog with eight different ways that it could occur.

Well, now my devious mind has come up with something similar for you Rules enthusiasts to think about over the New Year’s holiday.

After celebrating much too enthusiastically on New Year’s Eve, George arrives at the first tee for his New Year’s Day match against his arch rival, Bill. Things don’t go well for him and unbelievably (!) he is 7 holes down without having struck a ball, when he concedes the match. George has not conceded any stroke or hole and has not breached a Local Rule or Condition of Competition. Explain how this could possibly have occurred under the Rules of Golf.

I am not certainly suggesting that this scenario will ever happen but the poser is intended to encourage readers to think laterally about some breaches of the Rules that we don’t often experience. Click here for my solution to this Rules Riddle.

Happy New Year to all of you,

  

The above content is strictly copyright to Barry Rhodes © 2012 and may not be copied without permission. 

Golfers Will Understand (2)

http://www.golflafs.com

At this same time last year I blogged on some ‘truisms’ about casual golf. Here are 20 more;

Brand new golf balls are water-magnetic and, while this cannot be measured scientifically, the more expensive the ball, the greater this water-magnetism.

If you want to hit a 7-iron as far as a scratch golfer, simply try to lay up with one just short of a water hazard.

When your next shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either hit one more club or two more balls.

If your driver is hot, your putter is ice cold; if you can hit your irons, you will top your woods; if you keep your right elbow tucked in, your head will come up.

The inevitable result of any golf lesson is the instant elimination of the one critical unconscious motion that allowed you to compensate for all of your many other errors.

It's not a 'gimme' if you're still away.

There are two kinds of bounces; unfair bounces and bounces just the way you meant to play it.

Don't buy a putter until you've had a chance to throw it.

When you look up, causing an awful shot, you will always look down again at exactly the moment when you ought to start watching the ball if you ever want to see it again.

Never try to keep more than 10 separate thoughts in your mind during your swing.

You can put a draw on the ball, you can put a fade on the ball, but no casual golfer can put a straight on the ball.

A ball you can see in the rough from 50 yards away is not yours.

A good golf partner is one who's always slightly worse than you are. If you get a lot of invites to play, now you know why.

If there's a storm rolling in, you'll be having the game of your life.

If you're afraid a full shot might reach the green while the foursome ahead of you is still putting out, you have two options: you can immediately shank a lay-up or you can wait until the green is clear and top a ball halfway there.

Golf balls from the same sleeve tend to follow one another, particularly out of bounds or into water.

It’s far easier to get up at 6.00am to play golf than at 10.00am to mow the grass.

The frequency with which balls are lost increases as the available supply decreases.

The secret of good golf is: use your real swing to take the big divot, use your practice swing to make the shot, and always hit your ‘do-over’ first.

Your best round of golf will be immediately followed by your worst round. The probability of the latter increases with the number of people you tell about the former.

Wishing all my readers a Very Merry Christmas, I appreciate your loyalty.

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A Rules Related True Story

The relevance of this plaque will become obvious when you read on.

I received this email today from Peter Blaisdell, a respected, long-term, US tournament Rules Official. It led me to a story that is particularly appropriate for this time of year and I am sure that it will provide you with food for thought

“I'd like to share something with you, my friends.
I received a phone call last night from someone I don't really know.
I have posted the contents of the conversation on the Golf Club Atlas website under the heading-----I got a phone call--
If interested, take a look, it speaks volumes about golf and the human condition.
Really shook me up.
Pete”

Here is Pete's entry on Golf Club Atlas forum (dated today, 14th December, 2011); 

I got a phone call last night from a woman who identified herself and asked if I was the Mr. Blaisdell who is a rules official. I said yes and she said that her husband wanted to speak to me but I should be aware that he was heavily medicated. I thought, --What the hell is this?--A man came on the phone and said—Pete, you probably don't remember me but I used to play in a number of USGA qualifiers back in the 90's. The name did ring a bell but I really could not place him. He said that there was a ruling at a Public links qualifier at Gardner municipal where there was a difference of opinion on a situation where two players had a heated discussion concerning a ball moved after address on the putting green. The man on the phone was the player involved and his fellow competitor was adamant that the ball had moved. I was not the first official but was brought in as a second opinion because the first official was not sure how to rule on this. It came down to a simple he said-he said and I ruled for the player accused.

The man on the phone said --I have pancreatic cancer, I've been in the hospital for 7 weeks, nothing can be done, I came home to die. I want you to know that the ball did move and I cheated. I have carried this with me for years and I wanted to get it off my chest. It is the reason I stopped playing golf because I was so ashamed of myself. It is the only time in my life I cheated and I want to tell you I'm sorry that I lied to you and the other player.

I told the gentleman that I accept the apology and that it took guts to call. I said I would pray for him.--This really shook me up. I wanted to share this.

If you have read this with interest you will probably want to read the many varied comments that have since been posted on the web site. This is the link.

Good golfing,

Winter Rules / Preferred Lies

Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

There is much confusion over the subject of ‘Winter Rules’, or ‘Preferred Lies’, or as some critical golfers call it, ‘Lift, Clean and Cheat’. I think that the main reason for this is sloppiness by club or course Committees in properly wording the Local Rules that are required, and then failing to display the appropriate notice where it will be seen and taken note of by members. There must be very few courses that do not suffer from adverse conditions at certain times of the year, thereby justifying the introduction of temporary Local Rules, either to protect the course or to promote fair and pleasant play.

Committees should anticipate these occasions and have properly worded Local Rules prepared that spell out exactly what is, and what is not permitted. It is definitely not good enough to post a notice that says ‘Winter Rules’ of ‘Lift, clean and place everywhere’. Where possible, it is recommended to reproduce the specimen Local Rules that are provided in Appendix l, Part B, section 4 of the Rules book, amended as required. Amongst the subjects that should be considered are;
•    Whether lift, clean and drop is to be restricted to fairway areas, or is to include the rough (through the green).
•    Whether the ball must be marked before it is lifted (strongly recommended).
•    How far the player is allowed to place their ball from where they picked it up (e.g. the width of a score card, 6 inches, one club-length).
•    Whether there is relief for a ball embedded through the green (not just on closely mown areas).
•    The procedure to be followed if a player’s ball comes to rest on a temporary putting green.
•    If mats are in use on a teeing ground, whether the player must play from the mat, even if they are able to tee their ball within two club-lengths behind the tee markers without it being on the mat.
•    Confirming that the ball may only be placed once before it is in play.
•    Identifying general areas of ground under repair, such as cut turf seams, sand slits areas of drainage disruption and damage caused by heavy equipment.
•    Identifying dropping zones and when they may be used.

As I write this piece I am reminded of a situation I experienced some years ago when a fellow competitor, whose ball had embedded in the bank of a ditch inside the margin of a water hazard, started to prise it out. When I advised him that there was no relief for a ball embedded in a water hazard he abruptly replied that the notice in the pro-shop said, “Placing everywhere”!

Good golfing,

The above content is strictly copyright to Barry Rhodes © 2011 and may not be copied without permission.

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Two Golf Books for Christmas

This is a first for me, because in over three years of blogging on the Rules I have resisted the temptation to recommend any golf books, other than my own of course! However, I am going to break this practice by recommending two very different books.

My first recommendation is partly for selfish reasons. I am now receiving more questions on the Rules than I can cope with. The large majority of these can easily be answered by referencing the 'Decisions on the Rules of Golf' book. The most recent edition contains 17 new Decisions, 22 revised Decisions, 3 re-numbered Decisions, 98 revised Decisions and 35 withdrawn Decisions. I strongly recommend that anyone with an interest in the Rules of Golf should purchase a copy of this book, produced jointly by the R&A and the USGA. It is much easier and far more interesting to read than the difficult Rules of Golf book and will provide you with plentiful material for those après-golf exchanges in the Clubhouse or the bar.

  Amazon.com (US $ customers)
   Amazon.co.uk (St £ customers)
I have provided links to both the USGA and R & A editions, but can assure you that the content is the same. The only real difference is the US English and UK English spellings.

And now for something that is completely different! When he sent me a copy of his recently published book, Jason Ross, an American author and golfer, told me that there is no other adventure book about golf written for young people. I read the 'The Magic Driver' this week and can honestly say that I cannot wait for Christmas, so that I can read this to my grandsons, aged 8 and 7. The story is about two youngsters, Justice, who is 12, and Gigi his younger sister, who live the simple life as two young golfers on the junior circuit, until they are given a magic driver that whisks them away to Thailand, where their real adventure begins. If you have children, grandchildren, nephews or nieces that have any interest in golf, I am pretty certain that they will enjoy this first book of what he hopes will be an adventure series, from Jason Ross.

  Amazon.com (US $ customers)

  Amazon.co.uk (St £ customers)



If you are interested in either of these recommended books please click on the links above for more information. If you do purchase from this link I get 4% of the price to help defray some of my expenses. If you are receiving this blog by email click here to go to the links.

Thank you and good reading,

 

The above content is strictly copyright to Barry Rhodes © 2011 and may not be copied without permission.

Ball in Motion Strikes another Ball

What happens if your ball is struck by another player’s ball? First, check out this video of José Maria Olazabal’s ball striking José Maria Cañizares’s ball during the 1992 Volvo PGA Championship.

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Olazabal’s ball in motion strikes another player’s ball

The easy bit to remember about this Rules situation is that whenever a ball in play and at rest is moved by another ball in motion after a stroke, the moved ball must always be replaced (Rule 18-5). It is a principle of the Rules of Golf that a player is entitled to the lie and line of play that they had when their ball came to rest. When a ball is to be replaced, the player, his partner or the person who moved it must place it on the spot from which it was lifted or moved (Rule 20-3a). The players must make their best judgement to estimate where the ball was lying before it was moved. The player whose ball hit the ball at rest must play their ball from wherever it came to rest.

There is no penalty when a ball played from off the putting green moves another ball. However, in stroke play, when a ball played from the putting green hits another ball on the putting green the person making the stroke incurs a penalty of two strokes. This is not the case in match play, where no penalty is incurred (Rule 19-5a); another example of where match play differs significantly from stroke play. The logic behind this is that in match play no-one else is involved other than the opponents playing the same hole; whereas in stroke play the players are competing against everyone else entered in the competition, whose interests have to be protected.

One interesting Decision on Rule 19-5 is that in stroke play, if a ball putted from the putting green comes to rest touching another ball on the green but does not move it, no penalty is incurred, Decision 19-5/4.

Good golfing,

 

The above content is strictly copyright to Barry Rhodes © 2011 and may not be copied without permission.