8/8/2026 - Dos Osos

Everyone knows that you get three minutes to find your golf ball.  What if you find it, and then after waiting for another player to play, you can't find it again?  Do you get another three minutes?

This was a hypothetical, but I have had this happen in the past.  My ball was in some pretty thick rough, so I left my hat near it while I went to the cart to get a club.  If I hadn't left my hat, I think it would have been tough to find again.

A clarification on Rule #18.2 here (18.2a(1)/1) indicates that the clock was only suspended while you were getting a club (bullet point #4).  So if it took you two minutes to find the ball the first time, then you only get one minute to find it the second time.

Ouch.  So that's stroke and distance.  So you should definitely do the hat thing.

 

7/11/2026 - UCSD Casual Golf Club @ The Golf Club of California

It's always fun when the rules actually help you.  One member of our foursome missed the green to the right on #4.  Her ball came to rest right next to a very large rock.  Technically, the rock is a loose impediment, but there was no way that we were going to be able to move it.  She had a shot, but it was risky in terms of the shot, and possible damage to her club.  Unlike those folks who play on TV, most of us hacks pay for our clubs.

She took her stance, and she was standing on a sprinkler cover.  A sprinkler cover is an immovable obstruction, which is covered by Rule #16.1.  There is a caveat noted in Rule #16.1a-3 - "No relief when clearly unreasonable to play ball."  It would have been a challenging shot, but by no means unreasonable.

Free relief!

 

7/9/2026 - Welk - The Fountains

My drive went through the fairway into a bunker on #9.  I think that I hit sand on my backswing, but I'm not sure.

The rule I may have violated is Rule #12.2b.  If you touch sand on your backswing, it's a 2 stroke penalty.

But what do I do if I'm not sure?  AI suggested the "naked eye test."  No one saw it, including me.  I think I felt it.

My wife, who is the most honest person I know asked what I would have done in a tournament scenario?  If I was playing in a tournament, I would have told my playing partners about it, and I would have given myself the penalty.  So I'll be posting a 7 for #9.

 

7/4/2026 - The Crossings at Carlsbad

Someone dropped a tee in the rough just off the fairway on #11, and my ball came to rest on it.  I tried to move it, but there was no way to move it without moving my ball.  I thought a tee would be a movable obstruction, as opposed to a loose impediment, but I wasn't certain, so I left it there.

I was right about it being a movable obstruction, because it is artificial.  A loose impediment is a natural object.

Rule #15.1 covers Loose Impediments.  If the ball moves while you are removing a loose impediment, then it is a one stroke penalty.

Rule #15.2 covers Movable Obstructions.  Specifically, Rule #15.2a-2 covers this scenario.  If the ball had moved while I was removing the tee, then I simply replace the ball with no penalty.

If my ball was on or in a movable obstruction (think PGA Tour when the ball ends up in a spectator's bag), then you have to drop within one club length (still no penalty).  Interesting distinction.

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Addendum

Has the pond on #7 always been yellow staked?  I thought it was previously red.  My approach hit above the stakes, but kicked back into the pond.  Rather than dropping greenside, I had to play from 50 yards out.  Amazingly, I got up and down for bogey anyway.

 

6/24/2026 - Oaks North

I was surprised to see someone in our foursome stomp behind their ball before a chip shot.  I didn't think you could do that, except on the tee box.  I was only 90% confident in this, and I had just met the guy, so I didn't say anything.

It is literally Rule #1.1 - Play the course as you find it. 

Rule #8.1 goes into more detail on this.  Per Rule #8.1a, you are not allowed to move, bend, or break any living object.

The exception for the tee box is listed in Rule #8.2b.

 

5/17/2026 - Torrey Pines North

I've played two rounds in a row on aerated greens.  I've heard people say that it's an automatic 2-putt, but that's just not true.  Also, aeration holes do not qualify as Ground Under Repair.  And you're not allowed to repair them on the green, like you would be allowed to repair a pitch mark.  So what are my options?

The first rule that came into my head was Rule #14.2-e - If you can't place your ball where you marked it, then you must place it as close as you can to the original spot.  But this doesn't really help.  If your ball rolls into an aeration hole that it wasn't in previously, then you can place it where it was originally (or as close as you can get).  But if your ball was in an aeration hole, then you have to place it back in that aeration hole after you mark it.  Not within a couple of inches between the aeration holes, but back in the aeration hole.  Sorry.

There's a model local rule for this, but it's not going to help as much as you like.  If your course or club puts in a local rule modeled on Model Local Rule E-4.  This allows you to treat aeration holes as GUR, except you don't get relief for swing, stance, or (on the green) line of play.  So if your ball is in an aeration hole, you can take it out, but you're still going to have aeration holes in the line of your putt.  So slightly better, but not really that helpful.  But you should still ask your committee to put this local rule in play if the greens have been aerated.

 

 

 

 

 

5/14/2026 - Encinitas Ranch

The fairway on #5 is in a deep valley.  I was down there trying to figure out what the wind was doing.  I remember the wind was from the SW on #2, but I couldn't figure out which way that was from deep in the valley.

So am I allowed to use a compass?

Rule #4.3a-1 specifically indicates that the use of a compass is allowed.  But I would but an asterisk on that in 2026.

Like most of you, the only compass I have is on my phone.  Using the compass app on your phone is probably okay, but using the compass in your mapping application is probably illegal.   The same rule noted above also explicitly indicates that you can't use an electronic device that would indicate line of play.

Similarly, if your GPS app gives distance only, then it's allowed.  If it does any sorts of calculations on that distance, such as slope, temperature, or pressure, then it's not allowed.  It also cannot be used to make club recommendations.

 

 

5/11/2026 - Oaks North

My tee shot on #6 East went into a cypress tree and did not come out.  What happens next?

You can always try to climb the tree and play the ball out of the tree a la Bernhard Langer.  I didn't like that option. 

If you can see the ball, and you can positively identify it as your ball, then you can take an unplayable lie and play the ball within 2 club lengths of the spot on the ground below where the ball is nestled in the tree.  Interesting that they don't restrict the vertical distance.

You can try to climb the tree to identify the ball, and if you dislodge it, there is no penalty for accidentally moving the ball while trying to identify it.  If this were to happen, then you could either replace the ball in the tree to try to play it, or, now that you can identify it, you can take the unplayable lie option above.

This also applies to trying to shake the ball out of the tree.  In this case, you must declare beforehand that your intention is to take an unplayable lie penalty. 

Alas, I could not see the ball, let alone identify it.  So even though I knew it was in the tree, it is still a lost ball (stroke and distance penalty).  My club plays a local rule that allows you to take a two stroke penalty and drop where you believe the ball is.  This is great for pace of play, and I think all clubs should put this local rule in place.

 

 

4/11/2026 - Oaks North (North / East)

I've been wondering for a while - is it a penalty if your ball moves when you are marking it?

Per Rule #13.1-d-1, there is no penalty if you accidentally move the ball on the putting green.  This is true when you're marking it, addressing it, or anything else.

A weird part of this rule is that if the ball is moved by natural forces, if you have marked it, then you must replace it.  If you have not yet marked it, then you play the ball from its new spot. 

I think this used to be a penalty.  I think the USGA should keep the old rules available online for comparison. 

3/23/2026 - Del Mar Golf Center

When switching golf bags (long story), I found an old glove (pic below) that I had used at a lesson.  The instructor drew lines on the glove with a sharpie to help me with my grip.  Can I use this glove in tournament play?

This is covered (not surprisingly) in the Equipment Rules.  Part 6 of the Equipment Rules covers "Devices and Other Equipment."  Section 2 covers gloves.

The wording is a little clunky, but it says "features, other than visual aids, designed to assist the player in placing his hands..."  (emphasis added).  My interpretation of this is that drawn lines are okay, but something tactile would be illegal.

So I can use this glove for tournament play.

Another statement in the rules on gloves indicates that any sort of padding is illegal.  Anything more than 0.635mm thicker than the adjacent areas is considered padding.  This means that the Bionic gloves that I used to use are non-conforming.  So I guess I need to retroactively DQ myself from some past tournaments, if I could just remember which ones I might have worn a Bionic glove in.

Rule 4.3 of the Rules of Golf covers equipment and refers to the Equipment Rules. 

 

 

3/21/2026 - Admiral Baker North

I just covered this rule in my last post, and it came up again today.  I was in a bunker, and I touched the sand on my backswing.  This is the Patrick Reed rule, and I earned a two stroke penalty for my efforts.  Yay.

I thought it was just one stroke, but it is the general penalty (2 strokes).  I was not clear whether or not I needed to replay the shot.  I could not find anything indicating that I need to, so I assume not.

I've had a rough time on #11 my last three rounds at ABN.  Today was a 10 with the two stroke penalty and a lost ball.  The prior two rounds, I had an 8 and a 9.  Ugh.

It was also "Superintendent's Revenge" day on the course, so all of the pins were placed in ridiculous places on the green.  Either tucked right behind a bunker, at the very back of the green, or on a slope within a yard of the edge of the green.  I'm very curious to see what the PCC will be. 

3/19/2026 - Oaks North

I reached into the bunker with my wedge to grab the rake.  My club touched the sand.  Penalty, or no?

I think this was a penalty under the old rules, but the new rules are much more lenient.

Rule #12.2-b covers this.  If you touch the sand to test the condition of the sand, or to improve your lie, then it's a penalty.  If you touch the sand in a practice swing, or on your backswing, then it's a penalty.  That last part always gets me, but I think that's what Patrick Reed did in the Bahamas a number of years ago.  It's clever, but it's cheating.

There is no penalty for touch the sand in other ways, including striking the sand in frustration.  That one surprises me.  It's not a good look.

 

2/27/2026 - Admiral Baker North

I pulled my tee shot into the woods, and it came to rest directly behind a tree.  I took unplayable relief and dropped the ball on a bed of pine needles and other tree detritus.  As I was taking my swing, I could see the ball moved noticeably.  It wasn't the club hitting the ground near they ball, but my weight shifting on the loose ground.  I continued the swing and knocked the ball back into the fairway.

Per Rule #9.1b, if the ball is moved during the backswing (or downswing), and the player continues the stroke, then there is no penalty, and you play the ball where it came to rest.  This is true whether you make solid contact with the ball or not.  Presumably, if I had completely whiffed, the stroke would count, and I would play my next shot from where the ball ended up.

I'm terrible at backing off, but what if I had stopped my swing?  This is covered by Rule #9.4.  If the ball is deliberately moved, then it's probably a penalty.  But per Rule #9.4a, if it's not deliberate, then you must replace the ball back on its original spot.  There is no penalty here.

 

12/22/2025 - Balboa

I was in a fairway bunker waiting for the green to clear, and I raked an area of the bunker away from my ball.  I was pretty sure that this was allowed, but my playing partner asked.  At the time, my belief was that you can rake the bunker as long as you are not improving your stance or lie.  I was raking the bunker to care for the course.

And that's exactly how it's worded in Rule #12.2-b.2.  There is no penalty for smoothing the bunker to care for the course.

I believe this was a penalty at one time.  The rules have certainly gotten more player-friendly in recent times.

I don't recall which tournament it was in, but Jake Knapp was expecting a penalty for touching the sand with his club on a practice swing, but he was not testing the sand, and it didn't improve his stance or lie, so no penalty was given.

 

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.