TOPICS NEWSLETTER - South Florida PGA Golf

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education rules with drew Double Rules Dilemma SFPGA TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR ANDREW MILLER Some interesting rulings came up during last month’s Championships. The first happened during the Pro- Scratch Championship played at TPC Eagle Trace and the second at the E-Z-GO South Florida Open at Tiburon and Pelican Marsh. The Pro-Scratch Championship is four-ball stroke play event in which a PGA Professional partners with an Amateur competing under a better ball format. During the Championship a player hit his partner’s ball. The partner realized the error right away, retrieved his ball and dropped it from where his partner had played. What is the penalty? Well, let’s start with the most obvious penalty first. Rule 31-5 tells us, “If a competitor is in breach of Rule 15-3b for making a stroke at a wrong ball, he incurs a penalty of two strokes and must correct his mistake by playing the correct ball or by proceeding under the Rules. His partner incurs no penalty even if the wrong ball belongs to him.” It is important to note that when the player played the wrong ball, he took a divot with the swing. He also took a divot with his practice swing. In short, this means that the spot from which the wrong ball was played was determinable and the partner should have placed the ball instead of dropping it from which it was previously played. Decision 20-6/1 states, “A player placed a ball when he should have dropped it or dropped it when he should have placed it.” Before playing a stroke, may the player lift the ball, without penalty, under Rule 20-6 and proceed correctly? Yes. Otherwise the player would lose the hole in match play or incur a penalty of two strokes in stroke play for a breach of the applicable Rule. Some of you might be saying, “Wait a minute Drew. You’re telling us the partner needed to place the ball from where it was just played even though that exact spot is now a sand filled divot?” The answer is yes, well, sort of. Rule 20-3b tells us, “If the original lie of a ball to be placed or replaced has been altered: except in a hazard, the ball must be placed in the nearest lie most similar to the original lie that is not more than one club-length from the original lie, not nearer the hole and not in a hazard.” So, to recap, the player got a two-stroke penalty for playing a wrong ball and the partner got a two stroke penalty for dropping a ball when he should have placed it. The second situation I wanted to share happened during the E-Z-GO South Florida Open on the 18th hole at Tiburon. A player hit his second shot into the later water hazard which runs parallel with the left side of the hole. The player measured his two club lengths, dropped his ball, which rolled into the water, re-dropped under Rule 20-2c with the same result and then finally placed the ball on the spot from which it was re-dropped. At that moment the ball rolled into the hazard. The player looked up, noticed I was sitting behind the 18th green and motioned me over. How should the player have proceeded? The first question we need to determine is if the ball was in play after the player placed it on the spot from where it was re-dropped? Rule 20-4 states, “If the player’s ball in play has been lifted, it is again in play when dropped or placed.” This rule implies that the ball comes to rest when dropped or placed. Decision 20-2c/3.5 can help clarify when a ball is in play. It states, “A player’s ball comes to rest against a boundary stake. He deems the ball unplayable and drops it within two clublengths of where the ball originally lay, as prescribed by Rule 28c. After the ball has been at rest, it rolls and comes to rest out of bounds.” What is the ruling? If a dropped ball comes to rest but subsequently moves, the ball must be played as it lies. In this case the ball is out of bounds and the player must proceed under Rule 27-1. Since the ball was at rest before moving, Rule 20-2c is not applicable. The same is true for a ball which is placed. Once you place the ball and remains still without moving, that ball is then is play. If it subsequently moves, you then must play it from its new position. Another example is Decision 20-3d/1 which states, “A player replaces his ball on the putting green three feet from the hole.” As he is about to address the ball, it rolls into the hole. Should the ball be replaced or is he deemed to have holed out with his previous stroke? The answer depends on whether the ball, when replaced, came to rest on the spot on which it was placed before is started rolling. If it did, the player is deemed to have holed out with his previous stroke. 12
education rules with drew Double Rules Dilemma If not, he is required to replace the ball. However, if the ball had been overhanging the hole when it was lifted, the provisions of Rule 16-2 would override those of Rule 20-3d.” So back to the initial ruling, we determined that the ball had not come to rest when he placed it and Rule 20-3d tells us, “If a ball when placed fails to come to rest on the spot on which it was placed, there is no penalty and the ball must be replaced. If it still fails to come to rest on that spot: except in a hazard, it must be placed at the nearest spot where it can be placed at rest that is not nearer the hole and not in a hazard.” Had the player’s ball subsequently come to rest when placed and then it rolled into the hazard, the player would then have to proceed again under Rule 26-1. For arguments sake, let’s say the player’s ball came to rest after he placed it and then it rolled into the hazard and the player had to again take relief under Rule 26-1, do you think he would be permitted to change his relief option? Meaning instead of dropping two club lengths from where it entered the hazard, could he now drop on the opposite margin, go back to the tee or even take the spot from which it enter the hazard and then line that up spot with the flagstick and go back as far as he wished? Decision 20-2c.5 says, “A player deems his ball unplayable. Of the three options available under Rule 28, he elects Rule 28c and drops the ball within two club-lengths of the spot where it lay. The ball rolls and comes to rest nearer the hole than its original position, so the player is required by Rule 20-2c to re-drop. May the player now proceed under a different option? No. If the player did so, he would be in breach of Rule 20-2c. The same principle would apply when proceeding under Rule 26-1.” Although this Decision would seem to infer that the player would not be permitted from changing his relief option, he is in fact able to change his relief option. Under this particular situation, the player is taking relief “again” from the hazard. It’s almost as if he never took relief the first time. Therefore he is permitted to select any option under Rule 26-1 for taking relief. Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s segment of Rules with Drew and I hope to see you at the upcoming Pro-Pro Championship in Miami Beach and the Statewide Pro-Assistant Championship in Naples. upcoming events July 6-7 Pro-Pro Championship Supported by Global Golf Sales, & GolfBuddy Held at LaGorce Country Club & Miami Beach Golf Club July 8-9 Junior Tour #5 Presented by the Honda Classic Supported by Titlelist, Allianz Championship, Don Law Golf Improvement Center & Mirasol Men’s Group Held at Normandy Shores Golf Club July 12 Player Ability Test Held at Palm Aire Country Club - Oaks July 20 Senior-Super Senior Event Held at Frenchman’s Reserve July 22-23 Statewide Pro-Assistant Supported by Global Golf Sales, Cutter & Buck, GolfBuddy & Mizuno Held at Grey Oaks Country Club July 22-23 Junior Tour #6 Presented by the Honda Classic Supported by Titlelist, Allianz Championship, Don Law Golf Improvement Center & Mirasol Men’s Group Held at Old Corkscrew August 2-3 South Florida Callaway Golf PGA Assistant Championship Held at Frenchman’s Reserve 13
Page 1 and 2: TOPICS NEWSLETTER VOLUME 15, NO. 4
Page 3 and 4: chip shots section news APPRENTICE
Page 5 and 6: SFPGA Foundation Board Meeting Upda
Page 7 and 8: tournament news E-Z-GO South Florid
Page 9 and 10: junior news SFPGA Junior Tour prese
Page 11: patriot golf day register your golf
Page 15: 5% Commission For PGA Professionals

TOPICS NEWSLETTER - South Florida PGA Golf

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