9/15/18 - Admiral Baker North

I know that if your ball hits a ball on the green, but you're hitting from off the green, then you play your ball as it lies, and the other player puts his ball back where it was.  If both balls are on the green, then it's a two stroke penalty on the player that hit the putt (Rule 19-5a).  (Don't do this).


But what happens if both balls are off the green?

As far as I can tell, this is covered by 18-5 for the player whose ball is hit (put it back), and 19-5 for the player whose ball did the hitting (play as it lies).

It kinda bugs me on the PGA Tour when players leave their ball on the green as a potential backstop when another player is chipping.  It's kinda cheating, isn't it?  They only seem to do it when playing with a buddy.  I don't think we will see that happen in the Ryder Cup next weekend.

9/9/18 - The Crossings at Carlsbad

The Crossings just aerated their greens, so they had great rates for the weekend.  I booked a 6:27am tee time.  It's barely light at 6:27am this time of year.  And it can be really foggy.  Amazingly, I only lost one ball, and that was after the fog had burned off.

So what does this have to do with the rules?  After I played, I wasn't sure if I should post my score, given the conditions of the greens.  Everyone else in the foursome indicated that it was 2-putt max.  That sounds a lot like a breakfast ball, a mulligan, or a gimme - common, but not within the rules of golf (ie cheating).

So I consulted with our handicap chair.  He pointed me at the list below:

(i) When fewer than seven holes are played;

(ii) When made on a golf course in an area in which an inactive season established by the Authorized Golf Association is in effect;

(iii) When, as a condition of the competition, the maximum number of clubs allowed is less than 14, or types of clubs are limited as, for example, in a competition that allows only iron clubs;

(iv) When scores are made on a course with no USGA Course Rating or Slope Rating;

(v) When a player uses non-conforming clubs, non-conforming balls, or non-conforming tees*; or when a player incurs a second breach of Rule 14-3.

(vi) When a player plays alone;

(vii) When a player ignores one or more Rules of Golf and fails to post an adjusted hole score as required under Section 4-1 and 4-2, or fails to record the appropriate penalty for a breach of rule. For example, if a player anchored the club while making a stroke during a round and did not record a penalty for doing so (See Rule 14-1b), the score would not have been played under the Rules of Golf and therefore would not be acceptable for handicap purposes.

Those are the only reasons not to post a score (USGA Handicap Manual, Section 5-1e).  And since aeration isn't on the list, then I have to post the score.  I have to.  It's not optional.  Even with all of those 3-putts....

It makes sense because weather impacts the course conditions, what time of day you play has an impact, and you still post regardless of those, so why wouldn't you post on aerated greens?

I was surprised to learn that you can't post a round that you played solo.  I did not know that.  I will stop posting those scores.

Another interesting thing that I did not know is Section 5-1d.  If you are DQ'ed from a tournament, you still need to post an adjusted gross score (what you would have scored, with all appropriate penalties, etc).

This is all enumerated in great detail here:
http://www.usga.org/handicapping/handicap-manual.html#!rule-14379

So you should be posting pretty much all of your rounds.  Even the good ones that lower your handicap...  ;)

*I'm curious about what a non-conforming tee is.  I'll have to look into that one....

Thanks to our Handicap Chair, Noel for providing most of this information.

9/1/2018 - Castle Creek

It's been a while since I last posted.  It's not that I haven't been playing, I just haven't encountered any interesting rules questions.  Or if I have, I didn't remember them when the round was over.

Today, I hit a bad chip that went over the green and came to rest about a foot from a maintenance shed.  I had no stance, no swing, and I was pretty sure that I should get relief....

I was right.  Unless it's out of bounds, the maintenance shed is an immovable obstruction.  So I get relief based on Rule 24-2 - Immovable Obstruction.

This rule only applies to stance and swing.  If the ball had ended up 20 yards over the maintenance shed, with the shed directly between me and the green, then I get no relief.  I have to either go over, around, or through.

As with most free relief, it's a free drop within one club-length of the nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole.