The Rules
CONCESSIONS One of the things that players may do in match play is concede a stroke , hole or even a match . In order to concede a stroke , the player must clearly communicate to his or her opponent that this is the intent . A player can do this verbally or with an action that clearly indicates the intention to concede . You often hear phrases like , “ that ’ s good ,” or “ you can pick that up ,” to verbally indicate a concession , or you may see an opponent simply pick up the player ’ s ball .
• Conceding a stroke : A player may concede a stroke to his or her opponent any time before the opponent ’ s next stroke is made . When a stroke is conceded , the opponent has completed the hole with a score that includes the conceded stroke .
• Conceding a hole : When a player wishes to concede a hole , the player may do so any time before play of the hole is completed , including before the players start the hole . Players may do this for many different reasons ; I once conceded a hole simply because I knew that the hole was always difficult for me and that playing poorly would negatively impact me for the rest of the round . In that match , I conceded the hole before playing it and moved on to the next hole with my confidence still intact !
• Conceding a match : If a player wishes to concede a match , they may do so any time before the result of the match is decided . This may even be done before the match begins , such as when one player knows that he or she will not be able to compete on a given day .
It is important to be thoughtful when conceding a stroke , hole or match , because once a concession has been made , that concession is final and irreversible . that he or she has taken during the hole . If a player tells his or her opponent the wrong number of strokes or fails to answer the request , and the player does not to correct the mistake in time ( which generally must be before the opponent makes another stroke or makes a concession ), the player loses the hole . Second , a player must inform the opponent when the player incurs a penalty , unless the opponent is otherwise aware of the penalty ( such as when they obviously watch a player take relief from a penalty area ). If the player does not inform the opponent in time , the player gets the general penalty , which is loss of hole in match play . Third , players are responsible for knowing how the match stands . If the players mistakenly agree on the match score , they may correct the mistake before either player makes a stroke to begin another hole , or if this happens after the last hole of the match , they must correct before the result is final . However , if the players do not correct the mistake in time , the agreed upon score becomes the match score .
Finally , during a match , players are responsible for protecting their own rights and interests . As such , if a player knows the opponent broke a Rule , the player may act on that knowledge or choose to ignore
Shelley Savage and Mimi Hoffman embrace at the end of their championship match at the VSGA Women ’ s Senior Amateur in 2019 . the breach . However , the player and the opponent may not deliberately agree to ignore a penalty or a breach — that is , if both the player and opponent know that a Rule was breached , they cannot decide together to overlook it . If players disagree on whether a Rule has been breached , they may request a timely ruling from a referee or the Committee .
Additionally , players may decide how to proceed by agreement in match play when they are unsure of a Rule . For example , if player A wishes to take lateral relief from a red penalty area and isn ’ t sure how big the relief area should be , Player A and his opponent may agree that it should be three club-lengths , so long as neither of them knows that it is only supposed to be two club-lengths . In match play , players may not play two golf balls when unsure of how to proceed .
CONCLUSION Match play allows players the freedom to protect their own rights and interests and to always know where they stand in their competition . It is a fun way to play a round with friends , or in a friendly competition .
Next time that you go out to play a casual round of golf , consider trying match play !
CHRIS LANG
PLAYER RIGHTS AND RESPON- SIBILITIES IN MATCH PLAY In match play , knowing the status of the match is essential for players as they make decisions about their play during the round . Therefore , players have a few rights and responsibilities in match play that they do not in stroke play .
First , when asked , a player must tell the opponent the correct number of strokes
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