Archive for the 'Royal & Ancient' Category

Understanding Golf Rule 26-1

Friday, July 11th, 2008

Here is another question I received this week on water hazard rulings:
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“I have learned so much about the rules over the past 2 months. Playing partners are even beginning to ask me for rule explanations on the course when they have questions as if I am a Rules Expert!
I am still a […]

The Penalty For 15 Clubs In A Stableford Fourball Match

Friday, June 27th, 2008

A friend of mine emailed me with the question below regarding a golfer having 15 clubs in a stableford fourball match:
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“If you have time I have a question on the rules…
I was playing a fourball stableford competition yesterday, on the first green my playing partner discovered he had 15 clubs in his […]

Adjustable Golf Driver Rules Question

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

Ever since the launch of TaylorMade’s revolutionary r7 quad driver with Movable Weight Technology (MWT™) back in 2004 the following question has been a common one:
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“You seem to be helping everybody out with your golf rulings, I learn something every time I log onto your sites, now can you help us out […]

Understanding Golf Rule Decision 16-1d/5

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

Every week I see a limited knowledge of the Rules of Golf leading to incorrect decisions, here is one recent example:
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“How are you? I have a question regarding a rules decision. In our social club competion the winner was penalized 2 shots for testing the green.
What he did was to rub his […]

The Official Definition Of A Golf Stroke

Sunday, June 15th, 2008

The golf rules questions continue to hit my mailbox and as ever it is a pleasure to answer them. Here’s one relating to Tiger Woods on the 13th tee at the 2007 US Masters:
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“Please can take a look at this YouTube clip of Tiger Woods at the 2007 US Masters and explain […]

Proceeding Under Rule 26-1 or Rule 27-1

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

Each week I receive a rules of golf question similar to the one below. It concerns a common scenario where a golfer must be absolutely clear on whether they must proceed under Rule 26-1 or under Rule 27-1:
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“My friend and I were playing and she hit a long blind shot that obviously […]

Are You Clear On Rule 20-1?

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

This week I received an interesting question about what happens when a ball marker sticks to your putter. Weird I know, but you’ll be happy to know The Rules of Golf have every possibility covered! :
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“I have a question for you, this actually happened to me. I think it’s an interesting one.
I […]

Do You Understand Golf Rule 27-2a?

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

This week I received this question referring to Rule 27-2a, and thought it would be useful to share my reply with everyone:
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“Hi Barry,
I have a rules question that arose in our group yesterday.
We were playing in an eighteen hole medal play contest. A guy in our foursome pushed his tee shot to […]

R&A Scraps Doping Tests at Royal Birkdale

Friday, May 2nd, 2008

The issue of doping in golf was raised again when the Royal & Ancient, one of the two most influential global bodies, decided to delay drug testing at this year’s British Open at Royal Birkdale.
The reason is that many golfers had already qualified for the tournament from tours that do not apply anti-doping measures.
Surprisingly, […]

In Breach Of Rule 13-4a

Monday, April 21st, 2008

Recently I received this question referring to Rule 13-4a, and thought it would be useful to share my reply with everyone:
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“My ball is laying in the centre and to one end of a bunker.The bunker rake is the other end of the bunker. The sand in the middle of the bunker has […]

Golf Officials Bid For Olympic Spot

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

If Tiger Woods is still as competitive in eight years time as he is now, he may be looking to go where neither Jack, Arnold, Gary, Snead, Jones nor any of the other greats of the past century have been – Olympic gold.
That’s right. Golf is making another push to be part of the 2016 […]

How To Take Relief From Casual Water (Rule 25-1b)

Friday, April 4th, 2008

Last week I was asked the following question on how to correctly take relief from casual water. I’m sure one minute spent reading my answer will avoid any confusion next time you encounter this particular situation on the golf course:
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“This last weekend I spent a fabulous time playing golf, during Saturday and […]

Can I Use A GPS Device In Competitions?

Saturday, March 29th, 2008

In recent years we have seen a massive increase in the number of high-tech tools available to golfers. You can now choose from rangefinders, GPS systems such as SkyCaddie, launch monitors and swing analyzers, With this new technology comes some confusion as to when one can take advantage of these devices. A couple of days […]

Asians Gear Up for British Open Qualifiers

Friday, March 21st, 2008

The countdown to the British Open, from an Asian standpoint at least, starts next week when 67 regional pros tee off at the International Final Qualifying.
The 36-hole event is being held at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club, which is on the island of the same name that houses the headquarters of the Asian Tour.
There are four […]

Ever Had Your Golf Ball Stolen By A Bird?

Friday, March 21st, 2008

I recently received this question relating to Rule 18-2 and what to do if a bird picks up your golf ball and drops it in the rough!
RULES OF GOLF QUESTION:
“Hi there,
And a very good day to you, can you solve this one please. Recently I hit a nice drive landing in the centre of the […]