12/1/2025 - Indian Canyons (North Course)

I was lucky enough to play in the SCGA Tournament of Club Champions this year.  I was unlucky enough to card a 10 on the 17th hole (my third hole).  Here's how it happened:

Drive was right, playable, but not a great lie.  Chunked my iron shot to the fairway, then I had about a 40 yard shot over a bunker to the pin.  I hit it about 25 yards into a greenside bunker.  Here's where it got interesting.

I hit my bunker shot really thin, and it flew out of the bunker, over the green, over the road, and close to the next tee box.  I was ready to take stroke and distance relief in the bunker, but someone in the group said that the ball was playable (but on the other side of the road).  I probably should have sought out a rules official, but I decided to play the ball from where it was.  It took me three shots to get back over the road, and then I chipped on and 2-putted for a 10.

I was out of contention at that point.  My marker signed the card with the 10, so it stands, but I wanted to do some research on whether or not that was correct.

As far as I can tell, the road is out of bounds, but the next tee is in bounds.  There is a local rule (A-5) that says that if your ball crosses OB but lands in bounds on another hole, then it is to be treated as OB.  But that local rule was not in play, and I believe that we handled it correctly.

Of course I could have taken the option to declare my ball unplayable in its new location, and I could have taken a penalty stroke and re-played from the bunker.  Maybe I would have scored a 9 if I had done that.  I was in the sand all day, and my bunker game was not on point.

My club plays a local rule with a max score of 9, but the SCGA does not play that local rule.

 

11/24/2025 - Oaks North

Playing partner ran over my ball with a cart on #18 fairway.  I'm pretty sure I get free relief, but I want to know what the specific rules are.

This is covered by Rule #9.6 - Ball Lifted or Moved by Outside Influence. In Stroke play, another player is an outside influence.  If it was match play, and my opponent moved the ball (intentionally), then they get a one-stroke penalty (Rule #9.5).  If I moved it, or my caddie moved it (intentionally), then I get a one-stroke penalty (Rule #9.4).  And then the ball must be replaced.  If it's an accident, then the ball must be replaced, but there is no penalty.

Rule #14.2 covers replacing the ball.  You have to place it on the original spot, or, if you don't the exact spot, then it must be estimated.  My situation specifically relied on Rule #14.2-d(2).  The original spot was known, but I could not replace it there because the lie would be altered.  So I get a club length, and I have to stay in the general area.

Rule #14.2 also covers the scenario when you need to lift your ball in a bunker to identify it. You need to recreate the lie that you previously had, or you would receive the general penalty (two strokes).

 

11/3/2025 - Sycuan / Singing Hills / Willow Glen

I had a serious mud ball after missing the fairway on the third hole.  I know I'm allowed to lift it to identify it, and I think I'm allowed to clean it to identify it, but do I need to "re-mud" it after that?

This is covered by Rule #7.3.  You are allowed to lift the ball to identify it.  And you are allowed to clean it but the ball "must not be cleaned more than needed to identify it." 

Lifting the ball to identify it is one of the few scenarios where you are not allowed to clean it.  The others are when you are moving it because it interferes with someone else's shot, lifting it to see if it is cut or cracked, and lifting it to see if you are in a position where you could get relief.  This last one is usually when you're checking to see if your ball is embedded.  If it's embedded, then you get relief, and you can clean it.  If it's not embedded, then you have to replace it, and you can't clean it.

 

10/29/2025 - Miramar

There's enough paint on the fairways at Miramar right now to paint one of the hangars where they store the F-18s.  Which is probably a good thing, since you're usually trying to guess what qualifies as Ground Under Repair.  And I wanted to re-read the rule because I thought I remembered something weird about the nearest point of relief for GUR.

Ground Under Repair is covered by Rule #16.1.  Rule #16.1b covers relief in the general area, which includes the fairway.  This section indicates that the Reference Point for relief is the nearest point of complete relief.  It does not specify that it can't be closer to the hole.  My thinking was that if you are in a big area marked as GUR, the nearest point of complete relief could be in front of the GUR.  But alas, if you look at the definition of the nearest point of complete relief, it is specified there that it can't be closer to the hole.  So you have to go sideways.

This makes sense, but I remembered reading the rule and noticing that the rule didn't mention not nearer the hole explicitly.  But it's there in the definition of nearest point of complete relief.

I also hit my ball into a pile of branches left of the fairway on #10.  Natural materials piled for removal are considered ground under repair.  But these were piled right next to stumps that would not be considered GUR.  I could have removed the loose branches (as loose impediments), but my ball still would have been very difficult to play.  So I took an unplayable lie (2 club lengths, one stroke penalty).

 

10/26/2025 - Admiral Baker South

Had a couple of issues out on the course today.  On the first hole, one member of the foursome hit their approach very near the second tee box.  His stance was impeded by the tee marker, but it is basically just a big rock with numbers painted on it.  Is that an impediment?

We decided that even though it was a rock, it qualifies as an artificial object in the same way that a wooden bench would qualify.  It's a natural material, but has been processed to become an artificial object.  Later in the round, we noticed a tee marker that was broken, and the rock is mounted on a metal frame, so definitely artificial.  Free relief per Rule #16.1, Abnormal Course Conditions.  Note that it was interfering with his stance, not his line of play.

Then, on the last hole, a guy wire was in my line of play to the green after my drive.  The scorecard says "relief may be taken from an immovable obstruction that intervenes with the intended line of play or is within two club lengths of the greens edge."  This is not Rule #16.1.  This is a local rule that the Navy MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) decided should be played.  If we hadn't looked at the scorecard, and we were playing strictly by the USGA Rules of Golf, I would not have gotten relief in this situation.

In looking more closely at the scorecard, I notice that they recommend the local rule that allows for two strokes on out-of-bounds, rather than stroke and distance.  I highly endorse this pace-of-play measure that our club plays.

 

10/10/2025 - Encinitas Ranch

We arrived at the 15th tee, and the tee markers were all in a pile just off of the tee box.  The maintenance staff was nearby.  What to do?

This scenario is covered by Rule #6.2b-4.  If the tee markers are missing, then you should contact the committee.  If the committee is unavailable, then the player should use their "reasonable judgement" to estimate the location of the teeing area.

Interestingly, Rule #1.3b-2 covers "reasonable judgement."  If you think that it's reasonable, then you can't be penalized for it, even if it's shown to be incorrect later.  If it's shown to be incorrect before you take the stroke, then you have to adapt.  I guess this would cover a scenario where you teed off from where you thought the tees should be, and then you found that the markers were moved to a forward tee box.  If you found this out after your tee shot, then the shot stands.  If you found out before your shot, then you would have to move up to the newly found markers.

I just teed up next to the USGA marker in the ground indicating 373 yards, the scorecard yardage for the hole from the tees that I was playing.

 

10/9/2025 - Admiral Baker Practice Hole

I love the practice hole at Admiral Baker.  For $20 per hour, it is so much better than a driving range.  You're hitting off of real grass, and you can see how your ball reacts on a real green, and get a real lie in the practice bunker.

Unfortunately, it's situated between the fifth and six holes on the south course, and it's a right miss off of the tee for either one.  I was interrupted a couple of times by folks playing those holes.

So what happens if your tee shot (or any shot) ends up on the practice hole?

If it's on the practice green, then it's considered a wrong green, and you must take free relief.  This is explicitly included in the definition of wrong green.  Per Rule #13.1f, you must take relief off of the green.  Usually playing the ball as it lies is an option, but not in this case.

As far as I can tell, the rest of the practice hole is fair game to play your ball as it lies.  This would include the practice bunker, which I have done off of the #5 tee.  It's not where you want to be.

A lot of courses mark the driving range as OB, and I can imagine a course doing that with a practice hole or practice area.  The short game practice area at Mt. Woodson is very much in play off of the #7 tee.

Do any other courses have a practice hole?

 

9/19/2025 - Encinitas Ranch

I was in casual water, and my stance would have been on the cart path, so I was entitled to relief.  The nearest point of relief was going to be an awkward stance.  Can I get back-on-the-line relief for either of those?

No.  Both of those scenarios are Abnormal Course Conditions (Rule #16.1).  It's free relief, but it has to be within one club length of the nearest point of complete relief that is not closer to the hole.  It also has to be in the same area as the balls original position.  In other words, if it's in a bunker, then the nearest point of relief must be in a bunker.  If it's on the green, then the nearest point of relief is on the green.  You cannot take abnormal course conditions relief in a penalty area.

Note that both the fairway and the rough are the same area of the course - the general area.  So you can get out of the rough into the fairway in this scenario.  You cannot get onto the green, though.

Also note that the cart path and the casual water are separate.  You've probably seen it on TV where a player takes relief from the cart path, and then takes relief from a sprinkler.  You can also use the point that is the nearest point of relief from both conditions.  You shouldn't hesitate to use the rules to your advantage when you can. 

This seems like a good time to discuss complete relief.  The nearest point of complete relief has to be completely free of interference.  Michael Kim got popped for this late in the season because after he dropped, his ball was on the line of the penalty area.

 

9/12/2025 - Oaks North

My approach shot was embedded just short of the green.  I know I get free relief, but I always forget, am I dropping or placing?  And do I get a club length?

Rule #16.3 covers ball embedded in the general area.  You get free relief within a club length, and you have to drop the ball.

Relief on the putting green is slightly different.  You can place the ball, and you do not get a club length. 

Note that you do not get embedded ball relief in a bunker, or in a penalty area.

8/14/2025 - Miramar

My approach on #13 clipped a tree, but I saw it land on the green and roll towards the hole.  Birdie opportunity!

But when I went to putt, it wasn't my ball.  Oops.  Now what happens?

I checked the bunkers around the green, just in case it was a stray ball on the green, and mine was somewhere nearby.  It was not.  I had pretty clearly played the wrong ball from the fairway. 

This is covered by Rule #6.3c.  Playing the wrong ball is a 2-stroke penalty, but you have to correct the mistake by playing out the hole with the correct ball.  Failure to do that is DQ.

Given the pace of play at any course in San Diego (and probably anywhere else), going back to find and play the correct ball is just not a viable option.  I'm surprised that there's not a model local rule to cover this.  Something along the lines of the 2-stroke penalty for a lost ball.  The lost ball local rule is not intended for high level competitions, and exists entirely for pace of play.  We need a local rule that covers this scenario.

I took the two stroke penalty and moved on to the next hole.  I was playing solo and can't post this round anyway.

 

 

8/11/2025 - Oaks North (North / East)

I got my first hole-in-one today.  Or did I?

If you look closely at the pic, the ball is not resting at the bottom of the hole.  So is this a hole-in-one?

Yes.  Rule #13.2c says that if the ball is resting against the flagstick in the hole and any part of the ball is below the surface of the putting green, then the ball is holed.  It says that if no part of the ball is below the surface of the putting green, then it is not holed.  But I'm not sure how that could happen.  Unless maybe you were using one of those jumbo golf balls?

The old rule was that if you remove the flagstick and it falls in, then it was holed.  If you removed the flagstick and it did not fall in the hole, then you had to play it as it lies (not a HIO).  I jiggled the flagstick and let the ball fall to the bottom of the hole just to make sure.

 

 

 

7/17/2025 - Oaks North (East - South)

I was pretty confident that I could get relief when my ball plugged right of the green, and I was sure that I could clean the ball, but I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to drop or place?

I was also not 100% sure if I would get relief in the rough, but I was also in casual water, so I knew I could have relief there.

Rule 16.3 covers an embedded ball, and per 16.3a-1, relief is given in the General area, which includes the rough.  It does not include the teeing area, bunkers, penalty areas, or the green.  There's a weird exception for embedded ball in sand that is not a bunker.  No relief if the grass in the sandy area is not cut to fairway height.  I guess that means no relief in a waste area?  I can't think of what else that would refer to.

And you can clean the ball.  You can't clean the ball if you are just lifting it to see if it is embedded.  But once you determine that it is embedded, you can clean it. 

And you drop, do not place.

So I did it right.  No penalty strokes for me.

 

6/18/2024 - Miramar

We've covered the two bonus strokes that you get if you are putting, and your ball hits another ball on the putting green (Rule #11.1).  What happens if you hit such a crappy putt that your ball hits another ball that is not on the putting green?

It didn't happen, but it crossed my mind as I crushed my ball 8 feet past the hole and down a slope off of the green.  But it didn't hit the other ball.  And if it had, there is no penalty.  Rule 11.1-a explicitly indicates that both balls must be on the putting green when the stroke was made.

Of note - We give out a sleeve of balls for low putts every tourney.  By convention, if your first putt is from off of the green, it doesn't count as a putt, even if you use your putter.  But if you are on the green, and then putt your ball off of the green, the next stroke counts as a putt, even if you use a wedge.  In essence, every shot after your first putt on the green counts as a putt.  I would even say that any penalty strokes that occur after your first putt count towards your total putts for that hole.

Thanks for playing....

 

5/29/2025 - Balboa

No one was using one, but somehow the topic of chippers came up.  I have written on this topic before, but in order for a chipper to be conforming, it has to meet these criteria:

• Only one face
• Circular grip
• No aiming appendage
  

What if I call my chipper a putter?  Then the second and third don't apply.  And a putter can have two faces anyway*.  And it is legal to carry more than one putter.

So what gives?

A chipper is considered an iron if it has more than ten degrees of loft.  As an iron, it has to conform to the three criteria above.

So there you have it...

* a putter can have two faces, but they must be identical and opposite.

 

4/16/2025 - Mission Trails

Whenever my ball goes into a concrete drainage ditch, I check the scorecard for a local rule. Sometimes courses give free relief from a man-made drainage ditch (Twin Oaks comes to mind).  At Mission Trails, the scorecard indicates that they are treated as a lateral hazard.

That's all well and good, but can I get relief for my stance if my ball is not in the penalty area, but the concrete drainage ditch impacts my stance or swing?

Rule #17.3 is very clear that you do not get relief from an abnormal course condition if your ball is in the penalty area.  But I couldn't find anything explicit in the rules about getting relief when the ball is not in the penalty area.

So my interpretation is that you can take relief from a drainage ditch if your ball is not in the drainage ditch, but the ditch interferes with your stance or swing.  I could be wrong?

Two related rules that I often see people get wrong:

• Taking relief from a boundary fence.  If an internal fence interferes with your stance or swing, then you are entitled to free relief.  This is not the case for a boundary fence (Definition of Boundary Object)
• Obstruction interferes with line of play.  If it's not interfering with your stance or swing, you don't get relief (Rule #16.1a).  You do get relief for this on the putting green.

 

4/4/2025 - Oaks North

Growing up playing soccer, I was always aware that in that sport, the entire ball must be across the entire line for it to be a goal.  I'm not so clear on golf.  Is the ball below teed properly in the teeing ground?

The definition of teeing area says that it includes up to the front of the markers, and the outside of the markers.  But does the entire ball have to be in the teeing area?  There's a nice diagram included as part of Rule #6.2b. and the rule explicitly states that any part of the ball in (or above) the teeing area counts.

So the ball below is okay.

Similarly, when is a ball on the green?  Rule #13.1a says that a ball is on the green if any part of it touches the putting green.  But it also says to see Rule #2.2c if the ball is touching the green, and another area of the course.  Rule #2.2 clarifies that if the ball is in a specific area, that takes precedence over the general area.  And then goes further to set the precedence of the specific areas of the course - penalty area, bunker, putting green.  I don't think the specific areas often border each other directly, but I guess I have seen bunkers that are up against a penalty area.  So if you're in both the bunker, and in the penalty area, then you are in the penalty area.

And finally, when is a ball out of bounds?  Rule #18.2a covers ball out of bounds, and there is a nice diagram.  A ball is in bounds if any part of the ball touches in bounds.  But unlike the teeing area, you use the inside of the stakes, or the inside part of the line to make this determination.

 

3/30/2025 - Rancho Bernardo Inn

What happens if you lift your opponents ball on the green, and mark it, thinking that it was your ball?

If you're lifting it to identify it, then it is clearly okay, and no penalty.  Just replace the ball (Rule #7.2). 

If you were searching for a ball and moved it, then there is no penalty (Rule #7.4).

As far as I can tell, in stroke play, you are an outside influence for another player's ball, so there is no penalty (Rule #9.6).  Replace the ball and continue.

In match play, it is a one stroke penalty to deliberately touch your opponents ball,  But there is an exception to the rule if you are on the putting green and believe it to be your ball (Rule #9.5b Exception 1).  So no penalty there.

 

2/24/2025 - Oaks North

Someone in our group made the old joke "99 percent of putts that you leave short don't go in."  Which led us to discuss what scenario could lead to a putt left short going in.

If someone else's ball knocked your ball into the hole, you have to replace it.  If they were on the green, they get two bonus strokes.  Either way, you replace your ball, and they play theirs where it came to rest.  Conceivably both balls could go in the hole.  In that case, you replace yours, and theirs is considered holed (but they still get the penalty strokes, if applicable).  Rule #11.1

If the wind blows your ball into the hole, my interpretation is that it matters whether or not you had marked it.  If you had marked it, and then the wind blew it into the hole, you would have to replace it.  If you had not marked it, then it would be considered holed on the previous stroke.  But you only get ten seconds.  After that, the ball is considered at rest.  Weird.  See Rule #13.3.

What if an animal knocked your ball into the hole?  An animal would be considered an outside influence, and the ball must be replaced (Rule #9.6)

 

 

2/19/2025 - Balboa

What happens if your tee shot hits the tee marker in front of you?  Everyone (except me) in this group thought you could re-tee, like you had hit a power line.  Nope.

Rule #11.1 applies here.  When the ball hits pretty much anything, you have to play it as it lies.  There is no penalty.

Regarding hitting a power line, the same rule would apply, unless a local rule was in place indicating otherwise.  This is frequently the case when a power line is in play (check the back of the scorecard).  The model local rule, and every instance that I have seen requires the player to re-play the shot when you hit a power line.  It is not optional.  This is Model Local Rule E-11.

I made my standard golf joke when a player in our group hit into the trees on #8 - "Sorry, I left my chainsaw in my other bag."  Obviously you can't cut down trees with a chainsaw while playing golf, but if you did, what rule would you be violating?  Rule #1 says that the player must "Play the course as they find it."  And what would the penalty be?  It appears to be in the hands of the committee, but I think disqualification would be the right call.

 

 

 

 

2/8/2025 - Carlton Oaks

Conditions are terrible At Carlton Oaks right now.  Do not recommend.  Some areas were indicated as ground under repair, but there isn't enough white paint in San Diego county to mark everything that should be indicated as GUR.

My playing partner hit into a pile of sticks.  My first thought was that they were loose impediments, and he could remove them as long as the ball didn't move.  That would not have been possible.  But then I remembered that grass cuttings, or other piles of natural materials are considered ground under repair.  So free relief...

Then I was wondering if the loose impediment ball moving was still a penalty.  They have loosened a lot of rules when you do something accidentally since 2019.

Nope.  Rule #15.1b indicates that if the ball is moved when removing loose impediments, then a one stroke penalty is incurred.  This does not apply on the putting green (presumably when the ball has been marked?).  The rule even indicates that if you have lifted the ball for a legal reason, you cannot remove a loose impediment that would likely have caused the ball to move.

I thought that was interesting, since they have removed so many penalties (double-contact, kicking the ball while searching, accidentally hitting the ball on a practice swing...)

2/6/2025 - Miramar

I back-handed a putt in and somehow made double-contact.  Double contact used to be a penalty, but isn't any more.  Are you allowed to back-hand a putt at all?

Rule 10.1a says "The player must fairly strike at the ball with any part of the head of the club" (emphasis added).  Since it doesn't say face, it's okay to use the back of the putter.  I figured as much, since you see PGA Tour Pros hit left-handed with a right-handed club when they are against a tree or whatnot.  I don't recommend trying that shot without having practiced it.  Note that you are not allowed to push, scrape, or scoop the ball.

Rule 10.1a is also where the rules explicitly state that double-contact is not a penalty (as long as it is accidental).

1/29/2025 - Miramar

Can I move this stake?

Yes.  It is a movable obstruction.  See Rule #15.2.  I can remove this if it impacts my swing or stance.  Note that tee markers are not movable obstructions on your tee shot, but they are movable obstructions on any other shot.

While we're doing pictures, is this ball embedded?

Nope.  It is very muddy, though.  I thought it was embedded when I hit it, but it bounced out of its pitch mark.  I must play it as it lies.  I hit a pretty good chip (for me) and then three-putted.  :|

1/23/2024 - Marine Memorial (Camp Pendleton)

I played the first 7 holes solo (I was playing 1 behind 4).  The twosome behind me caught me on the 8th tee, and I played the remainder of the round with them.  Can I post the score?

Per the Rules of Handicapping, Rule #2, you can't post a round that you played solo.  It is not specific about what to do when you play part of the round solo.

Based on the digging I did, I believe you are supposed to post a round using the 10-17 holes played system, and not put in a score for the holes that you played solo.

I still maintain that this is a stupid rule because the guy I played with has no idea whether or not I would be posting the score.

 

1/8/2025 - Balboa

I played twilight for the first time in a long time, and we were only able to complete 16 holes.  I knew that the new handicap system had a special way to post incomplete rounds, and I was curious to try it.

It was a little clunky.  If you post a round with 10-17 holes, you have to do hole-by-hole scoring.  I chose the 10-17 hole score option, and the normal score entry form came up.  I put in the scores for the 16 holes I played, and when I submitted it, it complained that I hadn't filled in all of the holes.  No kidding, I already told you that....

When I look at the score now, it says "This score received an 18-hole Score Differential based on the number of holes played and an expected Score Differential for the holes not played."  I did my own calculation based on expected score (par plus handicap strokes for that hole) and the numbers did not match.  I don't like the way that they are hiding their math now.

12/22/2024 - Admiral Baker South

This came up in discussing the PNC Championship, which is being played in Orlando this weekend.  They mention on the telecast that the partners are allowed to stand behind them when they are putting to see the line.  Normally this would be a violation for a caddie (Rule #10.2).  In a team format, it is normally a violation of Rule #22.6 (Foursomes) or Rule #23.8 (Four Ball).

Without a local rule, it seems like this would be an issue in any scramble.  But I guess no one cares about the rules in a scramble.

People often think that you're not allowed on the line of your opponents putt.  It's bad etiquette, but it does not violate the rules of golf.  If the player asked you to move and you refused, I think you would then be in violation of Rule #1.2 - "All players are expected to play in the spirit of the game..."

10/28/2024 - Twin Oaks

Not only were the greens just punched, but there was an enormous mound of dirt piled short and right of the green on #6.  It wasn't marked as ground under repair, but it certainly should have been.

Do I get relief?

The definition of Ground Under Repair includes "Grass cuttings, leaves and any other material piled for later removal."  I can't say for certain whether it was planned for removal, but I assume so.  So I would say that I get free relief.

10/17/2024 - Goat Hill

A lot of course websites let you know when you book if the greens are punched.  Some even give a discount.  Goat Hill did neither.

But it's fine.  The greens were still rolling okay.  The rule issue came up when I couldn't get my ball to stay where I had marked it due to an aeration hole.  What's the rule?

Rule #14.2-e covers this.  If your ball won't stay where you are placing it, you must place it in the nearest spot where it will stay.  It can't be any closer to the hole, and if your ball is on the green, then you have to place it on the green, or in the general area.

The other issue came up when I tried to post.  #18 at Goat Hill can play as a par 3 or a par 4.  Today it was playing as a par 3, but when I went to post the round, it listed it as a par 4.  I'm hoping that PCC will take care of it, but I'm not sure.  I couldn't find anything definitive online, so I reached out to my handicap chair to get his thoughts.  I'll post more when I find out more.

10/12/2024 - Balboa

I know sand is considered a loose impediment on the green, but I wasn't sure what to do about an ant hill when I was just off the green.  I know I can't remove sand off the green, but I thought an ant hill might be considered an animal burrow, which would entitle me to relief.

Turns out that an ant hill is explicitly covered by the definition of loose impediment.  So I am allowed to remove them on or off the green.

 

8/16/2024 - Admiral Baker South

I had never noticed the white OB stakes along the right hand side of #5, but these didn't come into play.  The white stakes beyond the green did.

My approach shot landed in the bunker, and I hit it a little too clean, sailing well over the green.  I didn't know that it was out of bounds at this point, so I raked the bunker.  When my playing partner told me that it was OB, we pondered whether or not there was a penalty for this or not.

Per Rule #12.2b(3), once you have played the ball out of the bunker, you are allowed to rake it.  So my ball was out of the bunker (and out of bounds), which allows me to rake before I drop.  If the shot remains in the bunker, then you can't rake it.

By the way, I did this twice, scoring an 8 on one of the easiest holes on the course.  :|

8/7/2024 - Balboa

I'm surprised that I had never encountered this before, but now I have.  A player in the group was in the left rough, and it was run over by a lawnmower.  I've seen them mowing the course frequently while folks are playing, but they are always good about avoiding a ball in play.  Until today.

So what's the ruling?  The mower is an outside influence, and the rule that covers this is Rule #9.6 - Ball lifted or moved by an outside influence.  You have to be virtually certain that this occurred (it did).  And then you have to estimate where the ball originally came to rest.

The ball had a big cut from the mower.  Can you put a new ball in play?  Any time you're taking relief (free or penalty), you can substitute in a new ball.  You can also replace a ball that is cut or cracked (but not if it is only scratched or scraped).

6/14/2024 - Oaks North

A player in the group missed the fairway slightly to the right and had some sort of maintenance box in his line of play.  It's an immovable obstruction, and it was in his line of play, but it was not impacting his swing or stance.  Sorry, no relief for you, unless you want to take an unplayable lie for one stroke.  I see people assume that they get relief here all the time.  This is covered by Rule #16.1a - Abnormal Course Conditions.  Unless you're on the green, an immovable obstruction only gives relief if it impacts your swing or stance.  On the putting green you would get relief for the line.  I'm not sure I've ever seen an immovable obstruction on the green.  Sprinklers are usually in the fringe.

A lot of people assume that they get relief from a sprinkler near the green.  The PGA Tour plays a local rule that gives them relief, but us amateurs don't get relief in that scenario either.  Sorry.

5/27/2024 - Admiral Baker North

A player in the group chipped up onto the green today, and his ball came to rest in the line of another player.  My ball was in a similar position, and I had already marked it.  So I wanted to mark his ball so that the other player could putt while the first player retrieved his putter.

First, you need another player's permission to mark their ball (unless you're their caddie).  And you can't just declare that it's always okay.  You have to give permission each time.  This was a casual round with players that I often play with, so in the spirit of the game, and for pace of play, I was going to mark his ball, but I didn't have a second ball-marker.

I marked it with a leaf, which I was pretty sure you're not allowed to do.  The definition of a ball-marker indicates that it is an artificial object.

Why?  Because a leaf may blow away?  Some random artificial object could blow away as well.  Because there could be confusion over which leaf was marking the ball?  Maybe....

This is all covered by Rule #14.  It's a one-stroke penalty.

So who gets the penalty here?  I guess I do, for marking his ball without explicit permission, and for using an illegal natural ball-marker.

I found it interesting that the rule explicitly indicates that it's okay to mark your ball with a club right next to the ball.  I'm pretty sure that's a recent addition.