Test Your Golf Knowledge with Our England Golf Referee
Our Shropshire-based England Golf referee is back with his latest set of rules questions to challenge and test your golf knowledge. Are you up for the challenge?
Material piled for removal by a greenkeeper is Ground Under Repair.
True or False?
True – The definition of Ground Under Repair includes the statement ‘Grass cuttings and any other materials that are piled for removal’.
Paul and Ron are playing a match. When playing the third hole, Paul plays his tee shot from a few inches in front of the tee markers. The penalty is loss of hole.
True or False?
False – In matchplay, if a player plays a ball from outside the teeing area, there is no penalty but, their opponent may cancel the stroke, and the player must promptly play a ball from within the teeing area. If the opponent decides not to cancel the stroke played from outside the teeing area, the stroke counts and the ball must be played as it lies.
Mary’s shot to the 7th green finished on the approach to the putting surface, just short of the green itself, and lay close to a twig. When she moved the twig, the ball moved off its spot. What is the penalty?
a. No penalty
b. One stroke
c. Two strokes
B – When Mary removed the twig and caused her ball to move, she breached Rule 9.4 ‘Ball lifted or moved by player’ and incurred a one stroke penalty. However, had the ball been lying on the putting green she would have not incurred a penalty, as there is no penalty if a ball is accidentally moved on a putting green.
Matt was playing with Tony, and on the 13th green Matt asked Tony to take the flagstick out of the hole. Tony did so and placed the flagstick on the green some six feet to the right of the hole. Matt took his putt and it went off to the right and accidentally hit the flagstick. What is the penalty?
a. No penalty
b. Matt is penalised two strokes
c. Tony is penalised two strokes
A – Rule 13.2b2 deals with this situation and states that if a ball accidentally hits the flagstick or person who removed it, there is no penalty, and the ball must be played as it lies.
Matt was playing with Tony, and on the 13th green Matt asked Tony to take the flagstick out of the hole. Tony did so and placed the flagstick on the green some six feet to the right of the hole. Matt took his putt and it went off to the right and accidentally hit the flagstick. What is the penalty?
a. No penalty
b. One stroke
c. Two strokes
C – When a player decides to take as provisional, ball, the player must announce to someone that they are going to play a provisional ball. It is not enough for them to say they are ‘playing another ball’ or are ‘playing again’. The player must either say that are playing a provisional ball, or something to indicate clearly that they are playing another ball in case the original ball is not found.
As Alison did not make it clear that the second ball was provisional, she is playing under stroke and distance and is playing ‘three off the tee’.
| As the smaller version of the Rules of Golf booklet is no longer produced, we strongly recommend that players who haven’t already downloaded the R&A Rules App do so. The app is easy to navigate and can help resolve most queries you may encounter, both on and off the course. Many players already benefit from this valuable tool. |
