What’s the Ruling?
Q:
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In this edition of What’s the Ruling, the CSGA Director of Rules Education Jeff Witherwax tests your knowledge of the rules of golf with ?ve of the most common scenarios he has seen on the course.
True/False: A player’s ball lies in a water hazard. Prior to deciding whether to play the ball or take relief, the player picks up a loose impediment in the hazard, normally a penalty under Rule 13-4. The player then elects to take relief from the hazard. There is no penalty, since the loose impediment would only have had an impact had he decided to play the ball as it lies.
Answer: False. Since the player had not yet elected to take relief, the ball was in play. By removing the loose impediment, he incurs a penalty of two strokes for violation of Rule 13-4.
Q:
A player’s ball has come to rest behind a divot that is not completely detached. May he remove the divot or press it down before playing his stroke?
Answer: The action is not permitted under Rule 13-2, which states that a player may not improve his lie or line of play by eliminating irregularities of the surface.
Q:
True/False: A player’s ball in play is accidentally moved by his partner. Immediately after realiz ing the mistake, his partner replaces the ball in the exact same location. Is there a penalty?
Answer: Although the ball was replaced, the player (not the partner) incurs a penalty of one stroke under Rule 18-2a (Ball at Rest Moved)
Q:
Above: With the help of a USGA of?cial, 2012 U.S. Open Champion Webb Simpson attempts to see if his ball is interfered by a tree root
A player’s ball comes to rest in a position where there may be tree roots just below the surface. May the player probe the area with a tee to see if he is in danger of hitting the roots?
Answer: Yes, the player may probe the area, provided that his lie, stance or area of intended swing is not improved by his actions.
Q:
As a player is in the process of marking his ball, he places his putter next to his ball and accidently moved it. After replacing the ball, does the player still incur a penalty?
Answer: There is no penalty, since the player was in the process of marking his ball, and the movement of the ball was directly attributable to the speci?c act of marking the ball.
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Connecticut State Golf Association