rulespin
double trouble
If you had your choice, which of the
following two golf shots would you rather
not experience during a competitive round:
the infamous full-swing shank or the dreaded
double-hit chip? These two uncommon and
unplanned golf shots will give any golfer
nightmares for days or weeks after they occur!
When the full-swing
shank suddenly appears
out of nowhere, not
only is the player faced
with the next shot from
the rough or the trees,
but his or her head is
spinning,
wondering
if the next swing will
produce yet another
shank.
The double-hit chip
occurs when a player’s
wedge gets caught in the
grass and momentarily
decelerates.
When
the club subsequently
escapes the grass, it
collides with the ball
a second time and
usually knocks the ball
sideways. At least, with
the double-hit chip, the
player knows why it
happened.
However,
this unfortunate shot
results in a penalty
stroke, and can shatter
a player’s confidence
whether or not he or she
is in contention.
No golfer is immune
to the double-hit chip,
not even Tour players.
8
The four photographs to the right show
the partial swing sequence of Bud Cauley
during his third round of the 2017 Valero
Texas Open at the TPC San Antonio’s
AT&T Oaks Course.as he was attempting to
chip onto the putting green of the 12th hole.
Addressing the ball on the fringe, Cauley was
looking to chip his ball into the hole for a
birdie. However, he double-hit his chip and,
all of a sudden, he was faced with a 13-foot
putt from the fringe for a bogey. Fortunately,
Cauley kept his composure and drained the
putt to limit the damage.
For the double-hit chip, the applicable Rule
is Rule 14-4 [Striking The Ball More Than
Once] which reads as follows: “If a player’s
club strikes the ball more than once in the
course of a stroke, the player must count the
stroke and add a penalty stroke, making two
strokes in all.” That’s the “double trouble”
with the double-hit, i.e., two strokes added to
your score. The player must then play his or
her ball from where if comes to rest. Note
that if the player happens to triple-hit his or
her ball, the penalty is still one stroke.
Probably the most famous (or infamous)
double-hit chip by a Tour professional
occurred during the 1985 U.S. Open at the
Oakland Hills Country Club. In the final
round, T.C. Chen had a four-shot lead as
he was preparing to play his fourth stroke
onto the putting green of the par-4 5th
hole. Unfortunately, he double-hit his chip
shot which came to rest on the fringe to his
left. Lying 5, he chipped past the hole, and
then two-putted, ending up with a quadruple
bogey. Within a matter of minutes, his
commanding lead was gone and he was tied
with Andy North. T.C. Chen eventually lost
to Andy North by just one stroke!