- 1 week ago
In this video Neil Tappin is joined by rules expert Jeremy Ellwood to look at the 6 rules golfers find confusing. They cover everything from when to practice on the course to your dropping options when faced with a bunker filled with water. Jeremy's clear explanations should help you avoid any unwanted penalty shots in these scenarios.
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00:00Hello everyone, Neil Tappin here from Golf Monthly and welcome to Prince's Golf Club
00:03and this video on the six rules that golfers find confusing. Now what you're going to watch
00:07is a conversation between myself and Jez Elwood where we've picked out six scenarios out here
00:12on the golf course where certain rules will come into play that you will need to know.
00:16Right, let's get started.
00:17That ball's moving, oh no. Right, I thought it was fairly solidly placed there but it was
00:32obviously a critical blade of grass that I've just disturbed.
00:34You've accidentally caused your ball to move.
00:37Yes, indeed.
00:37Jez, in this video we are covering scenarios that golfers find confusing. Where do you
00:42think the confusion arises here?
00:44Well, I think the confusion arises because people want to believe they won't be penalised
00:47for anything accidental on the golf course but that's not always the case. And in the
00:51general area where we are here, if you cause your ball to move, you are still penalised.
00:56Right.
00:57So you do need to tread carefully. There are scenarios where you aren't penalised. On the
01:01putting green, accidental movement is no longer a penalty. And when you're searching for your
01:06ball, if you're treading it by mistake, there's no longer a penalty there. In all those circumstances
01:11and even in this circumstance, you must replace the ball where it was before playing on.
01:15Yeah, but in this scenario, there's a penalty shot to add.
01:18There is.
01:19And then what about, what I was going to ask you about, what about on the tee? So let's
01:22say you're about to hit your tee shot and you accidentally just dink your ball off the
01:26tee. Somebody in the group says, one, everyone has a good laugh but do you get a penalty shot
01:30in that scenario?
01:31You don't because at that point on that hole, the ball is not in play. So it's only when
01:35your ball is in play as it is here, you know, close to the green on this hole, on the general
01:39area, that is a penalty. On the teeing area before you've played your tee shot, you can knock it off with the
01:45toe of your club and it's not a problem.
01:46So I think the advice here is to be careful. If your ball is perched on a tuft like Jez
01:50was here, tread carefully around the ball because if you are deemed to have caused it to move,
01:56unfortunately, you've broken the rules.
01:57Right Jez, so I'm confused and the reason I'm confused is my ball has come to rest, I hope
02:07you think you can see on the camera, in the bunker here, in the temporary water and I know
02:11that I'm allowed to take a drop here but I can't see anywhere I can drop that means that
02:16I won't still be stood in the water. So what am I allowed to do, what am I not allowed to
02:20do in this scenario?
02:21Okay, well I think golfers, a lot of golfers know that when you're taking relief from something
02:25you have to take complete relief. So typically elsewhere on the course you can't have your
02:30feet still in the water, temporary water. However, in bunkers and also on the puttergreen
02:35we'll come on to in a minute, you can take what is called point of maximum available relief.
02:40So the point where you get as much relief as possible from there but your feet might still
02:46be in the water or the ball might still be in a bit of shallower water.
02:48Right, okay, so I have the option then to drop it just to the side there, I'll still
02:52be stood in the water, or under penalty I've still got the option to take an unplayable
02:58here.
02:59Yeah, I mean that is the shot you're trying to save yourself is by still being able to
03:04play without taking the penalty that it would cost you to drop outside the bunker.
03:07Yes.
03:08So, by being able to play that still you may get up and down and save par, going outside
03:14to drop you're trying to get up and down for bogey.
03:17Okay, so clarify for us what you were just referring to about the green.
03:20On the putting green, it's a similar thing on the putting green and you have to remember
03:24that with an abnormal course condition, which typically on the putting green and in a bunker
03:30would be temporary water, you normally only get relief from it. On the putting green you
03:36get relief if it's lying between you and the hole, if it's on your line of play as well.
03:40Right, okay. But again, on a really flooded green there might be nowhere where you can
03:44get complete relief. But again, on the putting green you can take point of maximum available
03:48relief where you might have to putt through shallower water.
03:51So there you have it, maximum available relief, well worth knowing.
03:57Okay, so the next one on our list of rules that golfers find confusing relates to practicing
04:04on the golf course. Now, Jez, what do people need to know here?
04:07Well, I mean, basically there's not a lot of practice you can do during a competition
04:11round and that's stroke play or match play, but it's not completely restricted. You can putt
04:18and chip on or around the green that you've just played or on or around the tee of the
04:23hole you're just about to play. But chipping and putting only, no bunker shots, no other
04:27shots, but you can do that as long as you're not delaying play by doing so.
04:32Okay, that's clear. So then that begs the question, is there anything else that you
04:34can't do when it comes to practicing on the course?
04:36Well, in a match play competition ahead of a match play round, you can go and play the golf
04:40course beforehand if you want to. In a stroke play competition, you can't go on the golf course
04:45at all. So if the 18th green is clear and you fancy just going out and having a quick putt
04:49to see what pace the greens are rolling out that day, you can't do that. You're going to have to
04:53restrict that to the practice putting green, but not any of the greens you're going to be playing
04:56during that round. So there you have it. Those are the keys that you need to know when it comes to
05:00practicing on the golf course.
05:11Oh, that's not very good.
05:14Now, hold on. Before you go ahead there, what's that? Two and a half, three feet. You've not been
05:19that good from that range there. We're playing in a match and you don't have the right in a match
05:25to go ahead and tap in and finish the hole. Right.
05:27The order comes into play in match play more than in stroke play where there's the drive towards
05:32ready golf. In match play, there's a different dynamic. If I now make mine because it's my turn
05:37to play, your putt potentially becomes a lot harder. Yes.
05:41So for that reason, the order is more important in match play.
05:44So let me ask you a question. What happens if I do go up and just tap it in from here and I make the
05:48putt? What happens next? Have I broken the rules?
05:51Well, you've broken a rule, but there's no penalty. Only if I decide to make you take the ball back out,
05:57put it back where it was and play the shot again in the correct order.
06:00Right. So effectively, that putt gets cancelled and I get another go.
06:03You would get another go if I decided that you'd effectively gained an advantage by
06:08getting to go at your shorter putt first.
06:10Yes. And it's just one of those things that would be pretty awkward, wouldn't it?
06:13It would be.
06:13I mean, you and I have played enough golf together over the years that I don't think it would be
06:16awkward between us. But I think if you're playing in a match against somebody, you don't want to be
06:20left in that situation. So my advice would be in this particular scenario, just go up and mark the ball.
06:26If the player wants to give it to you, fine. But if not, just put the marker down
06:29and avoid any of this kind of awkwardness that can surround this particular scenario.
06:39OK, so in the scenario we're faced with here, we've got a golf ball here on the fringe.
06:43We've got a clump of sand also on the fringe and another bit of sand on the green. And there are
06:49certain things you can do and certain things you can't do. I think a lot of golfers, myself included,
06:53would find this particular scenario slightly confusing. Jez, clear up for us. What can you do?
06:58OK, well, I think the important thing to say is that under the definitions,
07:02sand and loose soil are not classed as loose impediments.
07:05Right.
07:06So here you can't move this on the fringe. However, there is within the rules,
07:11special dispensation, if you like, to remove sand and loose soil on the putting green only.
07:16So you could brush that away there, but you can't touch this slightly more prominent
07:20clump of sand here off the green. So there you have it. If your instinct would be to brush away
07:25this sand here, as mine would probably be, then beware. Don't do it. Otherwise,
07:29you'll run into trouble with the rules.
07:39Hold on. Can I just stop you there, Tappas? You're not about to play that, are you?
07:41Uh, yeah. I was about to play that, yeah.
07:44Right. But this is not the putting green of the hole you're playing, is it?
07:47No, but there's, you know, it's a lynx course, there's not much thick grass between me and the
07:52green. I reckon I can get this quite close by putting it.
07:54And you possibly could, but sadly, you're not allowed to even attempt to do so because you
07:58Right.
07:59You cannot play from a wrong green, you must take relief.
08:02OK, right. So even if there was only three feet of fringe grass between me and the right green,
08:08I still wouldn't be able to putt this.
08:10You wouldn't, no. The only time you could play from what appears to be the green of a wrong hole to the
08:15correct hole is when it's a double green, a shared green.
08:17Right. OK. So what do I need to do? Where do I go?
08:19Well here, your nearest point of relief is probably over that way and it does make the shot a little
08:24bit tougher, but unfortunately the rules don't allow you any leeway. You must take relief
08:30from the wrong green and you cannot play the ball as it lies.
08:32Right. There we go.
08:35So there you have it. That's our look at six rules golfers find confusing. I hope you found that helpful.
08:40If you have, please do hit the like button. Also, please do leave some comments below. Is there anything that we've missed?
08:44We're always looking for ideas for future content. So we'd be interested to hear your thoughts.
08:49But that's it for now. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.
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