The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers.
In an individual stroke-play competition, is a player allowed to stand directly behind me while I’m putting to help him figure out his line? Does the rule differ for best-ball competition? —Bokkie Gerber, via email
Yes — with caveats — and yes.
In individual stroke play, no Rule prohibits another player from standing on an extension of the line of play behind your ball for themselves. However, if the player is distracting you and you ask them to move, they should; while in this instance the Rules don’t prevent standing behind someone putting, it is certainly considered poor etiquette. (On the very off-chance that the other player was either giving advice or somehow helping you, then there might be a breach of Rules 10.2b(4) or 10.2a.)
In foursomes, however, Rules 22.6 and 23.8 prohibit your partner standing in that position to learn something for their own putt, lest they get the general penalty.
For more guidance from our guru, read on …
Rules Guy: Is it legal to mark your ball when it’s not on the green?
This morning, a gentleman in our foursome made a habit of tamping down forcefully around the hole with his putter (always in his line of putt, naturally). When I question this “gardening,” he claimed the greenskeepers weren’t doing their job properly when they changed holes. I happen to know better, since I am one of those greenskeepers. What rule should I quote? —Bob Keifling, Seibring, Fla.
Clearly, you are the gentleman since you chose to take the high route rather than tamp forcefully around this clod’s noggin!
Next time, let the rules do that for you. Players may repair “damage” to the putting green, which includes the hole and the area around it, even if doing so improves the line of play. But (!) normal maintenance practices, natural wear and natural surface imperfections are not damage as defined by Rule 13.1c(2) and may not be repaired.
If his tamping alters the ground and improves a condition affecting the stroke, such as line of play, then Rule 8.1a applies, and he gets the general penalty of two strokes in stroke play and loss of hole in match play. Now who’s not doing his job properly?
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Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he won’t throw the book at you.
