The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, weâve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? Heâs got all the answers.
I was playing a match the other day and had a slick downhill putt to win a hole. If the putt doesnât hit the hole, it will roll off the green. Wind had deposited some debris â leaves and sticks â near the hole, which I decided to keep in place, since they might slow the ball down in the event my putt missed. As my putt rolled toward the cup, it became apparent that it would indeed miss. My opponent rushed in to clear the debris, and sure enough my ball rolled back into the fairway. I donât believe I broke a rule, as I didnât place the items there. Did my opponent?
âDaryle Peterson, Pompton Plains, N.J.
Itâs like Oscar Madison and Felix Unger had a golf match! (Google it, kids.)
Rules Guy: Did this match-play agreement with my opponent disqualify both of us?
You, Oscar/Daryle, are indeed in the clear, since a player is entitled to play the course as he finds it. Yes, even if heâs leaving loose impediments in place to act as a potential backstop. Meanwhile, Felix has breached Rule 11.3 â you canât take action to deliberately affect whatâs happening with a ball once itâs in motion. The penalty? Loss of hole ⦠and 40 lashes with a feather duster!
Read on for another match play-related ruling …
In four-ball match play, are you allowed to deliberately use your partnerâs ball as a backstop? It seems wrong, but I canât seem to find the prohibition against it. âDavid Sainsbury, via email
Thatâs because there isnât a problem in match play, where the players are free to make an agreement along these lines.
That said, if oneâs opponents request that a ball on the putting green be marked because they think failure to do so would help your team, the ball must be lifted. Any agreements made on this front in stroke play would result in the general penalty once a stroke is made with that ball in place.
Need help unriddling the greens at your home course? Pick up a custom Green Book from 8 AM Golf affiliate Golf Logix.
Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he wonât throw the book at you.