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What rule did you misunderstand / not understand well?

captaincaution said:
Actually, as long as you reverse the process exactly in placing your ball again, this is ok. http://www.usga.org/Rule-Books/Rules-of-Golf/Decision-20/#d20-1-16
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Further support:

RULES FAQ


Rule 20-1

Procedure for Moving Ball-Marker to the Side

Q. When moving a ball-marker to the side, must the position of the ball be marked first and then the ball-marker moved, or can I simply measure to the side of the ball?
A. The player may either mark the position of the ball, measure to one side of the mark, and move the ball-marker to that spot, or he may place the putter head directly to the side of the ball and place the ball-marker, thereby eliminating one step. See Decision 20-1/16.
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Smallville said:
My bet is that we all do things wrong a lot and never know about it. If the PGA tour guys don't know the rules of the game they play for a living, us regular guys can't think we know all the rules.
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I agree. My groups do all we can to get it right, and if we are unsure, we have the person play two balls and sort it out after the round with our pro. The tour people are another issue. I think most of them know the rules well, they just have too much money on the line to go it alone and they need a ruling for everything these days, plus the calling in crap does not help.
 
wadesworld said:
The PGA Tour and European Tour have a permanent condition of competition extending embedded this to "through the green, except in sand." You should check with your tournament whether they want to do the same. While most small tournaments probably wouldn't think about it, if you bring it up, they may extend it to "through the green"
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We do have that as a standing condition of competition in all our tournaments but most places that I've played do not.
 
Lynchburg14 said:
Is there a rule on how you are suppose to mark score on the card? Most of my friends put down the number they scored but I will put plus or minus the number I am over or under for that hole. It lets me do simple math faster. Example: +1, +1, +1, -, +1: So I am 4 over through 5 holes. I had a guy tell me one time that I was doing it wrong.
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wadesworld said:
In a tournament round, you are required to write down the number of strokes you took on the hole. Note you are not required to add the strokes up. That's the committee's job.

In a serious tournament, the committee might ask you to correct your card before turning it in, but if they couldn't find you, they'd be required to use what you wrote down. Since that obviously would be below what you actually shot on the hole, they'd have no choice but to disqualify you for signing for a score lower than than your actual score.

In casual play, mark it however you want, unless you're required to turn in your card for handicap entry. However, the days of the staff at your course doing all the handicap entry are pretty much over. Most systems nowadays just require you to enter the final score, not hole-by-hole.
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I was about to say pretty much this. I score a LOT of tournaments (scrambles), and when people write their team's score with +1 or +2, 0, -1 or -2 instead of writing the actual score, it's a pain in the ass. We're adding up scores, not relations to par.

I always include how to write your score down in the pre-tournament talk before everyone drives out to their hole, and also include it on the tournament information sheet that is on everyone's carts, but hardly anyone reads!
 
SaffaClint said:
For the longest time I marked my ball incorrectly on the green if I had to move it out of someone's line. I used to put the toe of my putter on the ball and then a coin where the heel landed, instead of marking the ball first then moving the marker. Lol. Simple but oh so wrong.
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Related to this, it looks to me that not many people actually line up the putter with something on the other side of the green (a tree, a sign, a bush, whatever) and instead just walk over, set the putter to the ball/marker and move the marker. Without looking across the green. How do they know where to replace the ball/mark when it's their turn?
 
Smallville said:
Related to this, it looks to me that not many people actually line up the putter with something on the other side of the green (a tree, a sign, a bush, whatever) and instead just walk over, set the putter to the ball/marker and move the marker. Without looking across the green. How do they know where to replace the ball/mark when it's their turn?
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I see this happen a lot.

I'll add; That I always mark my ball with a 1961 quarter (birth year) heads up with the face looking towards the ball. If I have to move my mark, I always put it tails up. This way I never forget to replace it before putting........
 
Ok, while I'm enjoying reading & learning from those who know the USGA rules much better than myself my big Question in reference to THP events? How relax are we going to be on the rules during those rounds? I mean it's just natural to me as JB was saying to ask" Man was that your PW or Driver you just hit over that pond.
 
Mountain Slicer said:
Ok, while I'm enjoying reading & learning from those who know the USGA rules much better than myself my big Question in reference to THP events? How relax are we going to be on the rules during those rounds? I mean it's just natural to me as JB was saying to ask" Man was that your PW or Driver you just hit over that pond.
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I can't speak for JB, but every THP event I've been at has been much more about the fun than the rules - as it should be. For me he's more likely to ask "was that your Driver or PW you just hit into that pond?"
 
What rule did you misunderstand / not understand well?

Mountain Slicer said:
Ok, while I'm enjoying reading & learning from those who know the USGA rules much better than myself my big Question in reference to THP events? How relax are we going to be on the rules during those rounds? I mean it's just natural to me as JB was saying to ask" Man was that your PW or Driver you just hit over that pond.
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Heads up on rules at THP events. If you're paired with JB, make him putt everything out, even the half footers. He appreciates that.

#coerslegacy
 
CAA_Beat said:
Heads up on rules at THP events. If you're paired with JB, make him putt everything out, even the half footers. He appreciates that.

#coerslegacy
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You sir are dead to me.
 
wadesworld said:
I can't speak for JB, but every THP event I've been at has been much more about the fun than the rules - as it should be. For me he's more likely to ask "was that your Driver or PW you just hit into that pond?"
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:laugh: sounds like me
 
wadesworld: good thread, absolutely nothing wrong with knowing the rulez! When I began a few years ago I started to read the rules, just to get a basic understanding so a) i don't look like an idiot; b) my handicap would be more accurate. After a round if something came up, I'd look it up and pass it on the my playing partners for future reference. We wouldn't go back and correct our cards, we just move fwd and keep on having fun.
 
The handicap system distinguishes between an "unfinished hole" and a hole not "played within the rules" when posting.

For an unfinished hole (either you pick up or are conceded the hole) you would post your "most probable score".

However for a hole not played within the rules you would use the Par + handicap index method that has been explained in previous posts.
 
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