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The Rules
Tales from the Green
VSGA Rules Officials
share interesting rulings
from the 2017 season
Compiled by JOSH COATES
DURING EACH TOURNAMENT
SEASON, there are situations on the
golf course that require our Rules Officials
to help players apply the Rules in difficult
situations. This season was no different, so
we polled our volunteers and asked them
to submit their most obscure rulings. The
following are a few scenarios that occurred
during stroke-play championships this
year and some takeaways that we can all
learn from them.
SCENARIO 1
If you have a clear out from the trees, take it. If your path is impeded, it’s best to consider all options—including
going back to the tee—before hacking away.
SCENARIO 1:
A player hit his tee shot deep into the woods, but found it in a
playable position. There were several trees obstructing any line of
play back toward the hole, but the player attempted to punch it out
several times, unsuccessful each time. He asked for a Rules Official
and was informed that, since he had already made a stroke from
the woods, he could no longer go back to the tee and must contin-
ue attempting to punch out or take one or more ball unplayable
penalties to get the ball out of the woods (see Decision 28/5). The
player ended up incurring two unplayable ball penalties and made
two more strokes before exiting the woods, resulting in a very high
score for the hole.
TAKEAWAYS:
Even though you may find your ball in a place where you can make
a stroke at it, it may not be best to try to play it. Remember that you
can always go back to where you last played from under penalty
of one stroke (see Rules 20-5 and 27-1) and that might be the best
option to get out of trouble.
SCENARIO 2:
A player’s ball came to rest against the flagstick and the lip of the
hole, but only part of it was below the lip of the hole (i.e. the ball
was not holed). The player incorrectly lifted the ball from this
position, thinking it was holed (see Rule 17-4). Before teeing off on
the next teeing ground, the player asked for a ruling and was told
by a member of the Committee to place the ball on the lip of the
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V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 17
hole, under penalty of one stroke, and hole out from there, which
the player did. It was later pointed out to the Rules Official that
this ruling was incorrect as the player should have replaced the
ball against the flagstick, under penalty of one stroke, and apply
Rule 17-4 (see Decision 17-4/1). However, since a member of a
Committee issued the ruling and the time to correct this mistake
had expired (see Decision 34-3/3.3), the player must accept the
outcome of this scenario.
TAKEAWAYS:
Everyone makes mistakes, including the best Rules Officials in
the world. Sometimes these mistakes benefit the player but other
times they do not. If you are issued a Ruling that you are unsure of
or disagree with, you may ask for a second opinion or play a second
ball under Rule 3-3, just in case.
SCENARIO 3:
On adjacent holes that play in opposite directions, a player from
each hole hit tee shots that came to rest next to each other in an
area between the two holes. Both players were playing the same
brand and type of ball with the same number on it, but no iden-
tification marks were put on them. The players asked for a ruling
from the Committee and were informed that, due to the fact that
neither player could positively identify which ball was theirs, both
balls were deemed lost (see definition of lost ball) and the players
had to return to the teeing ground under penalty of stroke and
distance and play their third shots.
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