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To play golf correctly, it is important to know the rules. However, if you have ever read the USGA rules book, it can be quite daunting. Miss Rules is here to help you. Please send questions to:
missrules@golfergirlmagazine.com
Dear Miss Rules,
I was one hole away from winning our club championship. My second putt was going for the hole, but stopped right on the edge. It wasn’t going in so I jumped on the ground near the ball because I was so excited and wanted it to go in. The other girls weren’t happy that I did this but we counted it. Was that okay?
A: It’s tough to stay calm when your ball is so close to the hole. But, Miss Rules must let you know that there are two things wrong with doing what you did. First of all, jumping on the green can damage the green and you might get in trouble with the greenskeepers. Secondly, and to answer your question, what you did is not allowed by the rules.
If the ball had still been moving when you jumped, then you took action to influence the movement of the ball in breach of Rule 1-2. You would let the ball stay in the hole but you would get a two stroke penalty, hardly worth the infraction.
If the ball was at rest when you jumped (as I think you suggested), it should be assumed that you caused the ball to move. You, therefore, incurred a penalty of one stroke and must replace the ball under Rule 18-2a. Dear Miss Rules,
My friend and I had a disagreement the other day. She had marked her ball, lifted it, and set it aside. When it was her turn to putt, she rolled the ball with her putter back to the spot from where it was lifted. I thought it should either be counted as a stroke or, at the very least, as testing the green. What is the ruling?
A: I know it sounds crazy but she actually was not breaking a rule. Provided the action of rolling the ball was not for the purpose of testing the surface of the green, she was okay. Miss Rules would not recommend this method of replacing your ball, but it is not against the rules.
Dear Miss Rules,
I had the craziest thing happen to me the other day. I was playing on a course which had really big flags on the green. When I chipped my shot, it was going to be long except that it hit the flag – and got stuck in a fold of the flag! I wasn’t sure what to do. Luckily, it was just a round with friends, so we put the ball on the green near the hole. What should I have done?
A: What a great story to tell your friends! You actually did the right thing. A flagstick is a moveable obstruction and Rule 24-1 applies. The ball may be placed on the lip of the hole with no penalty.
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