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Rules you must know

What about hitting out of turn? Any penalty for doing so?
 
Still not sure I understand the complete difference between yellow and red markings. I may need examples.

So, par 4. Tee box.... water.... fairway. Really thought I could clear that with a 3 wood but plunk in the water where there is a yellow stake. So I may drop the ball on this side of the water, NOT THE OTHER SIDE for any reason. Reason being that point of entry is considered the bank on this side of the water, even if the ball lands 3 feet from the bank across the water. Point of entry is considered last place it crossed dry land not where it entered the water. Correct?
 
I though the drop in that situation would be at the yellow stake on the opposite side of the water?
 
MSB256 said:
Still not sure I understand the complete difference between yellow and red markings. I may need examples.

So, par 4. Tee box.... water.... fairway. Really thought I could clear that with a 3 wood but plunk in the water where there is a yellow stake. So I may drop the ball on this side of the water, NOT THE OTHER SIDE for any reason. Reason being that point of entry is considered the bank on this side of the water, even if the ball lands 3 feet from the bank across the water. Point of entry is considered last place it crossed dry land not where it entered the water. Correct?
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Correct for yellow stakes. For red stakes, if the ball crossed the hazard line on the far side and rolled back in, theoretically you could drop the ball on the other side of the hazard within 2 clubs as long as it wasn't closer to the hole. Yellow stakes even get more penal than that.... remember at the PGA Championship when Keegan Bradley hit out of the greenside bunker and the ball rolled across the green into the yellow staked water hazard?
He had to go drop on the far side of the hazard, "keeping the entry point between himself and the hole". If that was red staked, he could have dropped on or near the green on the close side within 2 clubs.
 
I find it works best just to stay away from hazards all together and you never have to worry about this ever.
 
Tadashi70 said:
If you hit your ball Oscar brown aka OB it's stroke and distance. You must either re-tee or drop in the spot your stroke originated.
If you hit into a red hazard you have options: 1. Hit from origin of shot 2. Drop along the line the ball entered the hazard 3. Two clubs from point of entry 4. Keep point of entry between you and the flag and drop as far back on that line
Yellow hazard you must keep point of entry between you and the hazard and you can go back as far as want..only option
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I'm confused on numbers 2 and 4. I thought the options for a red hazard were as follows:

1. 2 club lengths from point of entry no closer to the hole
2. Drop as far back as you want keeping the line between the flag and the point of entry
3. Stroke and distance
4. Drop equidistant on the opposite side of the hazard
5. Play it as it lies

As was told by the director of our golf association that there really is no "line of flight" rule in golf. I think that is one of the biggest misconceptions in the game.

From USGA:Rule 21-1c
c. As additional options available only if the ball last crossed the margin of a lateral water hazard, drop a ball outside the water hazard within two club-lengths of and not nearer the hole than (i) the point where the original ball last crossed the margin of the water hazard or (ii) a point on the opposite margin of the water hazard equidistant from the hole.
 
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Don't laugh if someone hits a bad shot...unless its too funny to hold it in that is.
 
Don't ask someone what club they just used on a shot. I did that in my first ever tournament and was quickly told I am not allowed to ask that. It was a 2 person scramble and I had never played the course or a tournament. Women will jump on you faster than anyone about rules violations! Trust me, I've had to learn the hard way.
 
MattyKrack17 said:
If you can't find the ball, you never hit it. Drop with no penalty lol

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk
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I agree. Losing a ball is punishment enough!!!
 
haha KB that's funny but it was mentioned earlier and I want to make sure...you can't ask but you can look and such.

I mean if in my tourney someone tries to look I'll let'em and I would kind of expect the same thing from them.
 
Tadashi70 said:
If you hit your ball Oscar brown aka OB it's stroke and distance. You must either re-tee or drop in the spot your stroke originated.
If you hit into a red hazard you have options: 1. Hit from origin of shot 2. Drop along the line the ball entered the hazard 3. Two clubs from point of entry 4. Keep point of entry between you and the flag and drop as far back on that line
Yellow hazard you must keep point of entry between you and the hazard and you can go back as far as want..only option
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You also have the option of replaying from the previous spot with a one-shot penalty, either drop at that spot or if it was a tee shot you may tee the ball again.
 
You ask for gotcha type rules, here is one that came up in a GSGA tournament I played in a few years ago. It was a senior tournament so we had power carts to use. One of the players had a weighted club (not really designed to hit balls with) to swing as part of his warm up. The "club" was in his cart but not in his bag and he was DQed, I think, on the second hole. Not sure why he wasn't assessed two strokes per hole and allowed to play. Maybe it was something about illegal equipment???
 
Lefty, that's odd I thought its 2 strokes for every hole too it must have been the weighted but even then maybe it was more of a training club not fit for play?
 
blugold said:
If you use the same club for every shot, including tee and on the green, deduct 3 shots from that hole's score.
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Tin Cup would have broken the course record if that rule was in effect when he finished the round with only a 7 iron.
 
Thechosen1 said:
Lefty, that's odd I thought its 2 strokes for every hole too it must have been the weighted but even then maybe it was more of a training club not fit for play?
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I think it was one of those "clubs" with a nonconforming grip, the kind that has finger positions molded into the rubber. Since it was an "illegal club" he was DQed. He thought he was ok to carry it in the cart long as it wasn't in his bag.
 
KellyBo said:
Don't ask someone what club they just used on a shot. I did that in my first ever tournament and was quickly told I am not allowed to ask that. It was a 2 person scramble and I had never played the course or a tournament. Women will jump on you faster than anyone about rules violations! Trust me, I've had to learn the hard way.
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Definitely no to asking for any sort of advice besides yardages. Looking is okay though so long as you do not have to touch the other person's stuff.
 
Lefty78 said:
I think it was one of those "clubs" with a nonconforming grip, the kind that has finger positions molded into the rubber. Since it was an "illegal club" he was DQed. He thought he was ok to carry it in the cart long as it wasn't in his bag.
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That's rough. I guess that's why you need to know the rules especially if you're playing in a tourney. How did he react to the DQ?
 
Reading the first few pages, I was all keyed up to give a few answers (eg if you play a ball while it or your feet are wet, you get to remove 2 strokes from your score), but instead I'll give one of my favourites. Playing regularly with a guy who is anal about the rules even in fun rounds (which is fine, except he is often wrong), I found shortly after I started playing regularly that if you are under/in a tree/bush and take a practice swing, and you knock off a branch/needle/leaf it is a penalty. The exception being that if you knock off a leaf and there are so many it makes no noticable difference, it's not a penalty. The guy didn't know that 2nd part until I showed him the rule decision.
 
That's an interesting one.
 
I actually knew about the tree rule. Leaned about it while walking with my playing partners when playing in a junior golf tourney. Same goes with a caddy/person can't hold a tree/branch while you hit.

Question for those who have playing in tournaments of any kind. When you lose a ball or just have a question with ruling. The people you've come across are they generally helpful? As in will make sure you get the right information. I know a rules official is called unjust to be sure but I was curious about people's past experience
 
Nate said:
What about hitting out of turn? Any penalty for doing so?
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I don't think there is a penalty for that, but your competitors can make you re-hit if you do this.

KellyBo said:
Women will jump on you faster than anyone about rules violations! Trust me, I've had to learn the hard way.
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That's why my wife almost exclusively plays with the guys...she says some of the women are just brutal. :D
 
Only learned this about 2 weeks ago. When on the green and putting the flagstick has been removed and lies on the green, if it looks like your ball is going to hit the flagstick you can not move the flagstick as it is deemed to has influenced the result of your shot. you must let your ball hit the flagstick and take a 2 shot penalty. I've seen lots of guys move the flagstick and genuinely believed I could to till a guy told me recently. I guess you learn something new everyday
 
Centre said:
That's rough. I guess that's why you need to know the rules especially if you're playing in a tourney. How did he react to the DQ?
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I don't know, he was several groups behind me, probably upset though.
 
I know this isn't a rule but I figured I'd ask here. In amateur tournament carts and even pull carts are not used correct? The players must carry their own bags right?

I know I had to do it for my junior tourneys just making sure it doesn't/hasn't changed
 
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