Unforced
Errors and
Rules of Golf
By Scott Shaffer, BGGA Master Coach
Everyone who plays golf knows the basic rules
during a round. Whether it is a tournament round
or a fun round with your friends, most common rules
are the ones dealing with hazards, water hazards
and lateral water hazards. After those, the biggest
pen alty is probably hitting a ball out of bounds.
The definition of a water hazard is as follows: Any
sea, lake, pond, river, ditch, surface drainage ditch or
other open water course (whether or not containing
water) and anything of similar nature on the course.
All ground and water within the margin of the
hazard are part of the water hazard. When defined
by stakes or lines, the lines or stakes are yellow.
The definition of a lateral water hazard is as follows:
A water hazard or part of a water hazard so situated
that it is not possible or the committee has deemed
it impracticable to drop a ball behind the water
hazard in accordance with rule 26-1b. Lateral water
hazards are defined by red stakes or red lines.
Out of bounds is defined simply as follows: Beyond
the boundaries of the course or any part of the
course so marked by the committee. Out of bounds
is marked by white stakes or white lines.
The penalty for water hazards is one shot and
depending which kind of water hazard, you proceed
under the applicable rule. Most always you get to
advance the ball forward and play closer than where
your last shot was played in “most” circumstances.
Out of bounds is, to a player, more penal due to the
fact you only have one option. You do not get to
advance the ball and there is a one-shot penalty. So,
you have to play from the position where you played
your last shot.
There are a lot of other rules golfers encounter, but
for junior golfers, those are the ones they seem to
deal with the most. Bunkers and rough, depending
on the type of grass and the length of it, are also
hazards. I have heard the USGA say that hitting a
ball in the bunker or the rough should be a half-shot
penalty to the hole being played. Although you are
not penalized or counting a shot, you have to deal
with a more difficult situation than you would if the
ball was on the fairway or the green.
So, how do we use the knowledge of all these rules
and lower our score? When we play a hole, our first
job is to identify a few things. Is it a par 3, par 4 or
par 5? How long is the hole? Most juniors I watch
at first would know what type of hole, but not how
far. Now, here is when the knowledge of the rules
will help you make better decisions and lower your
score. If you identify where the hazards of the
hole are, we can now start to decide on a “higher
percentage” target based on your own ability.
Hitting a ball in the rough on the opposite side of
the fairway of the out of bounds is a better option
than teeing up the ball again with a stroke penalty.
Everyone who plays golf should know their
dominant shot shape, and whether it’s a draw or
fade. Adjusting your target line so the ball has the
opportunity to land in a safer position is the goal
of any shot. It might even mean not hitting a driver
on par 5’s or longer par 4’s. It seems simple but
difficult to do during a round of golf or during a
tournament. In tennis, they call them “unforced
errors”. If you can eliminate some of your “unforced
errors” in a round you will absolutely lower your
scores. So, get into a process of identifying the
hazards or out of bounds on a hole before you start
to grab a club, adjust your target line to higher
percentage targets and you should start to see
that you make less unforced errors and have lower
scores.