What rules have you inadvertently broken?

[Fourputt]

I've rubbed my ball on the green to remove dirt since I didn't have a towel handy. I completely forgot about it, and when someone asked me if it was allowed, I immediately called the 2-stroke on myself.

While such an act isn't recommended, it also isn't a breach of Rule 16-1d unless it was done to test the green. You penalized yourself for no reason.

16-1d/5

Rubbing Ball on Putting Green for Cleaning Purposes

Q.May a player clean his ball by rubbing it on the putting green?

A.Yes, provided the act is not for the purpose of testing the surface of the putting green. It is recommended that a ball be cleaned in other ways to eliminate any question as to the player's intentions.

I'm still not positive if I actually broke this rule. I thought only the actual ground was ground. But in a tournament last summer my ball landed in a dried up water hazard so I hit it. I didn't ground my club but I did touch a cattail with it and that was called grounding because the cattail is growing in the ground.

Also not a penalty. Decision for Rule 13-4:

13-4/4

Touching Grass with Club During Practice Swing in Hazard

Q.A player takes a practice swing in a water hazard without grounding his club, but his club touches some long grass. Is there a penalty?

A.No - see Note to Rule 13-4. However, the player must ensure that his actions do not breach Rule 13-2 or constitute testing the condition of the hazard.

This is the note referred to above:

Note: At any time, including at address or in the backward movement for thestroke, the player may touch, with a club or otherwise, any obstruction, any construction declared by the Committee to be an integral part of the course or any grass, bush, tree or other growing thing.

 

[Fourputt]

im just recreational golfer with rare ocassional fun charity fun outing with prizes and such so you do want to do well but nothing real competative. I understand why there are rules but in all honesty if I played more competetively and you made that kind of honest mistake I would have just said thanks for being honest but forget about it and dont worry even if I was an aponant of yours. But thats just me. Some this stuff mentioned here can be bit rediculous even if in some degree of competative golf.

I don't recommend that you play in a real competition then until you change your mind on this. In a stroke play competition it is the responsibility of every competitor to protect the field, and that means that you are not allowed to ignore an observed rules breach.

In match play, it's your choice since you are the only one who can be hurt by your decision.

In stroke play you have the entire field to consider. If you and he are both aware of a breach by a fellow competitor and you don't report it, you become complicit in his cheating. If you are the only one aware of it, meaning that he was ignorant of the rule, you still have the obligation to inform him of it and report it to the committee if he does not correct his mistake or report it himself.

Of course, the honorable thing to do is to try and stop him from breaching the rule in the first place if you see him about to make a mistake. This is how I approach the situation, and to date, after 22 years of competitions, I've never had to call a player on a breach. I've always either been asked for help up front, or stepped in before he erred.

 

[wadesworld]

While such an act isn't recommended, it also isn't a breach of Rule 16-1d unless it was done to test the green. You penalized yourself for no reason.

I appreciate the clarification. At the time, since the person had called the act into question, I thought it safer to penalize myself. Perhaps overly cautious I guess.

 

[Jeanthemachine]

I was penalized for grounding a club in a lateral hazard during a team match. Fortunately my partner made a birdie and we won the hole.

It was a case of following my routine forgetting that I was behind the red line.

 

[More Gooder]

Probably all of them at some point.

 

[Lefty78]

Oh Wow....WOW!! I thought I had heard of or imagined every possible scenario for hitting the wrong ball....WRONG!

I can't imagine a more gut wrenching way get hammered with a penalty. The worst thing is...I could see myself doing that....... but never figuring out how it had happened.

It is very annoying to be sure. I thought I was on top of the "hitting wrong ball" thing with all the markings I put on balls now. The worst part, I told the third guy his ball was over the hill and mine was the one up about 20 yards. So there was that few seconds of "Whaaa the h" and double checking before hitting that first ball. Then the same feeling again when seeing the second ball before realizing what happened. It was like groundhog day there for a minute.

 

[Tedfroop]

That sucks man! I bet you were just being a good Samaritan and picked up an opponents stick

That won't cost you anything, it is good etiquette to pick up clubs that get left behind. If you start with 15 its a whole different matter.

I had completed the testing and everything for my level 2 rules officiating and was working to fill the required hours of tournament work. Learn everything you can when you have the chance is how I look at things so when they invited me to come look at course conditions, I did. We were playing and having a look at the course and setting pin positions for a junior qualifier later that month.

Things were fine until a long par 5 on the back 9 when I played a wrong ball, from my second shot into the cup. When one of the guys asked what the rule was I told him and he made it clear that he would have no problem dq'ing me and sending me home - if it was a tournament.

 

[giedz]

I've played my golfing partners shot before without looking at the ball first to make sure it was mine or his. I've also putted with the flag in the cup and made it without even thinking about it.

 

[subvet]

I've used a "putting" ball when reaching the green in the past. Didn't realize at the time you had to hole-out with the ball you teed off with.

 

[Fourputt]

That won't cost you anything, it is good etiquette to pick up clubs that get left behind. If you start with 15 its a whole different matter.

I had completed the testing and everything for my level 2 rules officiating and was working to fill the required hours of tournament work. Learn everything you can when you have the chance is how I look at things so when they invited me to come look at course conditions, I did. We were playing and having a look at the course and setting pin positions for a junior qualifier later that month.

Things were fine until a long par 5 on the back 9 when I played a wrong ball, from my second shot into the cup. When one of the guys asked what the rule was I told him and he made it clear that he would have no problem dq'ing me and sending me home - if it was a tournament.

That is only a disqualification if you fail to correct your mistake before playing from the tee on the next hole (or before leaving the green if it happened on the final hole). Otherwise it's two strokes and you have to go back and finish the hole correctly (strokes taken with the wrong ball don't count). If in fact you fail to find the original ball, then you would probably reach your maximum allowable for handicap anyway, assuming it was a round for handicap and that Canada has some sort of ESC process.

 

[rollin]

Originally Posted by rollinim just recreational golfer with rare ocassional fun charity fun outing with prizes and such so you do want to do well but nothing real competative. I understand why there are rules but in all honesty if I played more competetively and you made that kind of honest mistake I would have just said thanks for being honest but forget about it and dont worry even if I was an aponant of yours. But thats just me. Some this stuff mentioned here can be bit rediculous even if in some degree of competative golf.

I don't recommend that you play in a real competition then until you change your mind on this. In a stroke play competition it is the responsibility of every competitor to protect the field, and that means that you are not allowed to ignore an observed rules breach.

In match play, it's your choice since you are the only one who can be hurt by your decision.

In stroke play you have the entire field to consider. If you and he are both aware of a breach by a fellow competitor and you don't report it, you become complicit in his cheating. If you are the only one aware of it, meaning that he was ignorant of the rule, you still have the obligation to inform him of it and report it to the committee if he does not correct his mistake or report it himself.

Of course, the honorable thing to do is to try and stop him from breaching the rule in the first place if you see him about to make a mistake. This is how I approach the situation, and to date, after 22 years of competitions, I've never had to call a player on a breach. I've always either been asked for help up front, or stepped in before he erred.

Good point and fairly stated. I can certainly understand your points and cant argue against them. Never thought of in that way to protect the field which I take to mean is to keep it all fair as possible in the rules to all concerned? . I do like the idea you mention of being honorable and helping prior to any honest mistake but (and I'm just asking) but wouldnt that be just as unfair to the other participants? If he was going to break such a rule that one would concider a minor honest mistake then if you worn him before hand, wouldnt that be the same as if I would have just ignored it? Wouldnt that have the same negative affect towards protecting the field as you put it? Just debating and wonder how it would be different in your view. BTW, if I ever do play competative I'm gonna be afraid to burp LOL, until I would get use to it.

 

[Fourputt]

Originally Posted by rollinim just recreational golfer with rare ocassional fun charity fun outing with prizes and such so you do want to do well but nothing real competative. I understand why there are rules but in all honesty if I played more competetively and you made that kind of honest mistake I would have just said thanks for being honest but forget about it and dont worry even if I was an aponant of yours. But thats just me. Some this stuff mentioned here can be bit rediculous even if in some degree of competative golf.




Good point and fairly stated. I can certainly understand your points and cant argue against them. Never thought of in that way to protect the field which I take to mean is to keep it all fair as possible in the rules to all concerned? . I do like the idea you mention of being honorable and helping prior to any honest mistake but (and I'm just asking) but wouldnt that be just as unfair to the other participants? If he was going to break such a rule that one would concider a minor honest mistake then if you worn him before hand, wouldnt that be the same as if I would have just ignored it? Wouldnt that have the same negative affect towards protecting the field as you put it? Just debating and wonder how it would be different in your view. BTW, if I ever do play competative I'm gonna be afraid to burp LOL, until I would get use to it.

Not really. Dispensing information about the rules is allowed, and since golf is supposed to be a game among gentlemen (and gentelwomen), it is assumed that any such potential breach is accidental. Since I would offer such information to anyone without discrimination, it is equitable, and that is all the Rules of Golf require. I would not be advising him as to a choice or decision, only the facts of the rules or rules involved in his situation. I would broach it by tell him that he was proceeding incorrectly, and if he wished, I would explain his options (if any) under the rules. How to deal with it after that is still his decision. I carry a rule book in my bag at all times so that I can show him the rule if necessary.

It would go against everything I know about the game to stand idly by and watch a player incur a 2 stroke penalty, or possibly a disqualification, when I could prevent it, even if that meant that he might ultimately beat me.

 

[rollin]

you know the old joke of what happens when we ASS-U-ME anything right?? kidding - LOL. ..But OK, intersting and sounds like a good resonable answer.