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.