Applying The Rules of Golf
The rules of golf seem complicated to the majority of people and in a lot of cases they can be but………………it may surprise you to learn that there are only 34 rules in golf.
They are not simple and with each rule comes a series of definitions. It is the interpretation (or lack thereof) that complicates matters.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews and the United States Golf Association are the two governing bodies of the rules of golf. Over and above this you have local rules which are apply to the course in play on the day.
Rules of golf are enforced by the players themselves and it is very much a case of simply trusting that your fellow competitor is playing according to the rules. Half the time you are not keeping a close eye on exactly what your opponent is doing over in that bush over there! there just isn’t time for that sort of thing when you have your own problems to think about!
Rules are broken on the golf course every single day but in many cases this is through ignorance and not through cheating. For example asking an opponent what club he used on a particular shot is in breach of rule 8-1 which refers to advice. Breaching this rule in stroke play incurs a 2 shot penalty and in matchplay it is loss of the hole.
It is quite ok to ask your partner or caddie for advice but not your opponent. Most golfers are unaware of this simple rule and it goes on all the time. Incidentally looking into your opponents bag to see what club he played is permitted as advice gained from observation is allowed!
Who is responsible for applying the rules of golf?
Everyone is and it is as much your duty to play to them as it is to ensure that others do the same. It is your responsibility to point out when a rule is being broken – if you don’t you are as guilty as the player committing the breach and should be penalized accordingly. Remember that you are part of an entire field (that is everyone on the course and in fact everyone that plays golf and has an official handicap) and have no right to assume that everyone would be happy to waive or overlook and indiscretion. It is a tough call to make on a friend but bear in mind that by doing so not only do you maintain standards and the integrity of golf but you are helping a fellow golfer by teaching him another rule.
Another common mistake is where people are entitled to a drop. There are 2 types of drops:
- A free drop – usually for something like abnormal ground conditions and
- A penalty drop.
A free drop is limited to one club lengths relief plus a further one club length for roll. Take a look at this picture on the right. Most local rules would allow relief from paths. You might argue that his ball isn’t on the path and you would be correct but relief is defined in the rules as total relief so if the abnormal ground conditions (in this case the path) was in any way impeding his shot he gets a free drop. So here he could choose to drop away from the path so that he is standing on the grass. The only other stipulation is it must be “the nearest point of relief” and “not nearer the hole.”
A drop that incurs a penalty of a shot can be dropped 2 club lengths from “the nearest point of relief, not nearer the hole” plus 1 club length for roll.
Let me explain the club length rule. The one (or two) club length rule is the furthest point from where the ball lies or line of entry, as the case may be, which the ball can be dropped and it must hit the ground within this distance. That is why you will see professional golfers use pegs to mark the point where the ball was (in abnormal ground or unplayable or line of entry) and then another peg either 1 or 2 club lengths along. Having so marked the furthest point they then drop the ball within that distance.
On landing the ball can roll an additional club length beyond the previously demarcated 1 or 2 club length zone before it comes to rest. It is then in play. If however the ball rolls beyond the additional 1 club lengths allowance it has to be dropped again. If the 2nd attempt again rolls too far the player can then place it where it first hit the ground. You have probably seen this being done on TV where the official points to the spot where the ball landed and should be placed.
I was playing with some friends in Australia some time ago and one of the guys had a free drop from a garden (under a local rule). He dropped his ball “not nearer the hole” and was about to play when I pulled him up. What he had done wrong and without any intention of cheating was to drop the ball in the “nicest point of relief” as opposed to the “nearest point of relief“. The latter just happened to be in the rough and not on the fairway!
Take the fellow in the photo. His nearest point of relief would be in front of him. His nicest point of relief may well be behind him and give him a clearer shot to the green. A subtle but crucial difference.
Learning the rules of golf will improve your golf – trust me on this as you will know when they are in your favor.
The Rules of Golf are given away for free by most golf clubs so get yourself a copy and start learning. With only 34 rules to master learning one rule a night is not that difficult a chore and might even be a lot of fun – it was for me.