rules scenarios
Teeing Area
2 In stroke play player A is playing an unfamiliar course. She has chosen to play the red tees and on most holes the yellow and red tees are together. On one hole as she proceeds to her tee shot she sees the red tees and realizes that she must have hit her tee shot from the yellow tees. What’s the ruling?
3. Player A is addressing the ball and accidentally knocks it off the tee. What does she do now?
4. Player teed his ball within the teeing area. He made a stroke at the ball but missed it. He than addressed the ball again and accidentally knocked it off the tee. What is the ruling?
5. Is it permissible to pull out grass behind where you want to put your tee in the teeing area?
6. Due to the placement of the tee markers, Player A decided she would have a better angle if she stood to the right of the markers to make her stroke. Is this permissible?
7. When putting her tee in the ground, Player A notes that the tee markers are set up so that the line between them faces directly toward an adjoining fairway. She considers this a mistake and moves the markers to line up with the fairway she’s playing. What’s the ruling?
8. Player A hits her tee shot and suspects it went out of bounds. What should she do?
9. Player A sets up to her tee. Then she notices there’s a pond just to the left of the fairway and decides to change to a “water ball.” Can she make that substitution?
10. Player A hits her tee shot. When she gets to her ball she realizes that her second shot requires going over water so she changes to a “water ball.” She proceeds to hit the substituted ball. What’s the penalty?
- In stroke play a player hits her tee shot from a tee placed in front of the tee markers. What’s the ruling?
2 In stroke play player A is playing an unfamiliar course. She has chosen to play the red tees and on most holes the yellow and red tees are together. On one hole as she proceeds to her tee shot she sees the red tees and realizes that she must have hit her tee shot from the yellow tees. What’s the ruling?
3. Player A is addressing the ball and accidentally knocks it off the tee. What does she do now?
4. Player teed his ball within the teeing area. He made a stroke at the ball but missed it. He than addressed the ball again and accidentally knocked it off the tee. What is the ruling?
5. Is it permissible to pull out grass behind where you want to put your tee in the teeing area?
6. Due to the placement of the tee markers, Player A decided she would have a better angle if she stood to the right of the markers to make her stroke. Is this permissible?
7. When putting her tee in the ground, Player A notes that the tee markers are set up so that the line between them faces directly toward an adjoining fairway. She considers this a mistake and moves the markers to line up with the fairway she’s playing. What’s the ruling?
8. Player A hits her tee shot and suspects it went out of bounds. What should she do?
9. Player A sets up to her tee. Then she notices there’s a pond just to the left of the fairway and decides to change to a “water ball.” Can she make that substitution?
10. Player A hits her tee shot. When she gets to her ball she realizes that her second shot requires going over water so she changes to a “water ball.” She proceeds to hit the substituted ball. What’s the penalty?
- She incurs a two stroke penalty for playing from the wrong place and must hit another tee shot from within the proper teeing area.
- Even though she gained no advantage from playing the longer tees, she did start the hole from the wrong place and incurs a two stroke penalty. She must then tee at the proper tee for stroke 3.
- The ball was not yet in play so the stroke does not count and she can put it back on the tee.
- When he made a stroke at the ball the ball was in play. When he addressed it again, he gets a penalty for accidentally hitting it so he is now lying two strokes. He may use a tee if he wishes since he is still in the teeing area.
- Yes, you may eliminate irregularities of the surface in the teeing area. You may pull out or break off grass or weeds and may smooth uneven surfaces.
- Yes, as long as the ball is in the proper teeing area, the player may stand outside that area.
- She gets a two stroke penalty and must put them back.
- If she goes to search and discovers her ball is out of bounds, she will have to take stroke and distance relief and return to the tee, taking a one stroke penalty and returning to the tee to hit stroke #3. To avoid this delay in play, she should hit a provisional. She must announce it’s a provisional or it would be considered putting a second ball in play, which would result in the first ball being out of play even if it’s found in-bounds. If the first ball is found in-bounds, she picks up the provisional and plays her second shot on the found ball. If the first ball is found out of bounds or determined to have been lost, she then plays the provisional, hitting shot number 4.
- Yes, the ball is not yet in play so she’s free to substitute a ball.
Putting Green
2. My putt stops two inches from the hole and one of my partners tells me to pick it up. After I pick it up, another player in the group reminds us that we don’t allow gimmies in day’s play. What do I do now?
3. As she addresses her ball Player A takes a practice putting stroke and accidentally strikes the ball. What is the ruling?
4. Player B putts from on the green. The putt breaks more than she anticipated and hits Player A’s ball which had not been marked. What’s the ruling?
5. Player A rotates her ball on the putting green to line up the trademark with the hole. She did not lift the ball, mark its position or change its position. Is there a penalty?
6. Player A lifts his ball on the green and accidentally drops it. It hits and moves B’s ball which is at rest on the green. What is the ruling?
7. Player B pulled the flag stick and set it aside on the green. When player A hit her putt she hit the ball harder than she intended and it struck the flagstick laying on the ground. What’s the ruling?
8. A’s ball and B’s ball are in the same area on the putting green. With B’s permission, A marks both balls and lifts them. When he goes to putt he accidentally switches the balls and they each putt out with the wrong ball. What is the ruling?
9. Player A chipped onto the green. When she went to mark her ball, she put her chipping club on the fringe. When she hit her putt she hit the ball harder than she intended and it struck her club laying in the fringe. What’s the ruling?
10. A player holds the flagstick with one hand and holes a short putt, gripping the putter with his other hand. Is this permissible?
4. Player B gets a two stroke penalty and plays her next shot from where it comes to rest; Player A puts her ball back in her best estimate of where it had been.
5. Yes, one stroke for touching the ball. If she had marked the position before rotating it, there would have been no penalty.
6. There is no penalty and B must put her ball back on the original spot or best estimate of where the ball had been.
7. There is no penalty and the ball is played where it lies.
8. Each player is penalized two strokes for playing a wrong ball. Because B gave permission to A to lift his ball, he cannot be exempted from the penalty.
9. If the club was not put there intentionally to use as a backstop there is no penalty and the ball is played where it lies. However, if the equipment was put there intentionally to gain a benefit, there is a two stroke penalty and the ball must be put back on the previous spot.
10. Yes, as long as he wasn’t using the flagstick for support.
- I choose to leave the pin in to putt. How many penalty strokes do I count if my ball hits the pin and goes in?
2. My putt stops two inches from the hole and one of my partners tells me to pick it up. After I pick it up, another player in the group reminds us that we don’t allow gimmies in day’s play. What do I do now?
3. As she addresses her ball Player A takes a practice putting stroke and accidentally strikes the ball. What is the ruling?
4. Player B putts from on the green. The putt breaks more than she anticipated and hits Player A’s ball which had not been marked. What’s the ruling?
5. Player A rotates her ball on the putting green to line up the trademark with the hole. She did not lift the ball, mark its position or change its position. Is there a penalty?
6. Player A lifts his ball on the green and accidentally drops it. It hits and moves B’s ball which is at rest on the green. What is the ruling?
7. Player B pulled the flag stick and set it aside on the green. When player A hit her putt she hit the ball harder than she intended and it struck the flagstick laying on the ground. What’s the ruling?
8. A’s ball and B’s ball are in the same area on the putting green. With B’s permission, A marks both balls and lifts them. When he goes to putt he accidentally switches the balls and they each putt out with the wrong ball. What is the ruling?
9. Player A chipped onto the green. When she went to mark her ball, she put her chipping club on the fringe. When she hit her putt she hit the ball harder than she intended and it struck her club laying in the fringe. What’s the ruling?
10. A player holds the flagstick with one hand and holes a short putt, gripping the putter with his other hand. Is this permissible?
- No penalty
- Take a two stroke penalty and put the ball back to putt.
4. Player B gets a two stroke penalty and plays her next shot from where it comes to rest; Player A puts her ball back in her best estimate of where it had been.
5. Yes, one stroke for touching the ball. If she had marked the position before rotating it, there would have been no penalty.
6. There is no penalty and B must put her ball back on the original spot or best estimate of where the ball had been.
7. There is no penalty and the ball is played where it lies.
8. Each player is penalized two strokes for playing a wrong ball. Because B gave permission to A to lift his ball, he cannot be exempted from the penalty.
9. If the club was not put there intentionally to use as a backstop there is no penalty and the ball is played where it lies. However, if the equipment was put there intentionally to gain a benefit, there is a two stroke penalty and the ball must be put back on the previous spot.
10. Yes, as long as he wasn’t using the flagstick for support.