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My name is Nick Doran, and I am the former president of the UCSD Casual Golf Club.

I am going to post rules decisions as I encounter them on the golf course. I am pretty sure that I will be able to come up with at least one rule nugget for each round that I play.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

7/6/16 - Balboa (again)

Did you know that leaving the flagstick in when you are putting is illegal?  One of the guys I was playing with didn't.

Rule 17-3 (c)
The Player's ball must not strike the flagstick in the hole, unattended, when the stroke has been made on the putting green.

Two bonus strokes for a violation of this rule.

It's tough to beat $19 weekday twilight for Balboa.  This time of year it's really easy to finish before dark.

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7 comments:

  1. psychic troutJuly 30, 2016 at 11:07 PM

    I'm confused, are you saying putting on a putting green while the stick is in is a penalty, or hitting the stick is a penalty...

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  2. ndoranAugust 1, 2016 at 7:28 AM

    Hitting the stick with a putt is a penalty (Rule 17-3 (c))

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  3. psychic troutAugust 1, 2016 at 12:35 PM

    Yes, but this was your original comment..."Did you know that leaving the flagstick in when you are putting is illegal?"

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  4. ndoranAugust 2, 2016 at 8:50 PM

    I guess I should have been more clear. It's legal to leave the flagstick in, but there is a two stroke penalty if you hit it. So it's a bad idea to leave the flag in when you're putting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. psychic troutAugust 5, 2016 at 10:34 AM

      Here's two scenarios maybe you could offer some insight into the ruling.

      A player ask a fellow competitor to tend the flag on his putt. The putt heads straight for the hole but the FC has a problem with pulling the pin...something I've seen because the pin isn't being pulled straight out, but at an angle. The ball hits the pin. What's the ruling?

      A pin is pulled and placed below the hole on a sloping green. The player hits it a little stiff and the ball passes the whole and heads for the pin. A fellow competitor runs over and picks up the pin, the ball rolling under and past where the pin was. What's the ruling?

      Delete
    2. psychic troutAugust 5, 2016 at 10:37 AM

      Hole...

      Delete
  5. psychic troutAugust 5, 2016 at 10:27 AM

    True, but it's also bad to leave a removed pin anywhere near the hole since it's the same penalty to hit the pin with any stroke made on the green.

    I've seen more putts hit a removed pin than a pin in the hole. Too often I've seen people remove a pin and place it downslop from the hole...in the line of a well muscled putt.

    I've asked people to reset the pin in this situation but sometimes get the "look". I've walked over and moved the pin myself and sometimes have gotten the "look".

    The best way to play this is make sure the pin is placed on the green uphill from any put and 8-10 feet away.

    Only way to be sure.



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