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It can sometimes seem that the Rules of Golf are out to get you and not devised to be fair or work at all in your favor (ball in a divot, anyone?). But there are some scenarios where the way the rules are applied can actually be a blessing and not only get you out of trouble, but assist your strategy and chances of hitting a better shot. In this video, Joel Tadman is joined by rules expert Jeremy Ellwood to outline the eight golf course situations where knowing the various intricacies of the Rules of Golf can really help you out.
This video was filmed on location at Gog Magog Golf Club in Cambridgeshire.
This video was filmed on location at Gog Magog Golf Club in Cambridgeshire.
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00:00Hello and welcome to the stunning Gogma Golf Club here in Cambridgeshire where I'm going
00:04to be talking you through the eight ways you can use the rules of golf to your advantage.
00:08I think it's fair to say sometimes the rules of golf can feel quite complicated and often
00:12feel like they're out to get you, but there are scenarios where they can work to your
00:15advantage.
00:16And along with myself and Jeremy Elwood, our resident rules expert, we're going to highlight
00:21some scenarios that can definitely help you use the rules to your advantage and might
00:24help you knock a shot or two off your scorecards.
00:27Without further ado, let's get on the golf course and find out those eight ways you
00:31can use the rules to really help you out.
00:33So Jez, we've reached the beautiful 16th hole here at Gogma Gog and there's a couple of cross
00:37bunkers down there which are kind of borderline, not sure if I'm going to be able to carry those
00:42with my driver or the typical golf ball that I use.
00:45How can I use the golf rules to my advantage in this situation?
00:48Okay, well if you knew there was a ball in your bag that was harder and carried further
00:52through the air, you could switch that if you wanted to on this hole.
00:55So, you know, the classic would be you'd switch from a top flight to a Pro V1 or the
01:01other way around.
01:02And you are allowed to do that under the rules.
01:04The rule 6.38, all it says is when you start the play of a hole, you must use any
01:08conforming
01:09golf ball.
01:11And the only exception is if the one ball rule is in force, but that's usually only at elite
01:17and professional competitions where you have to use the same make and model of ball throughout.
01:22Yeah, so you won't see tour players using different makes and models during the round.
01:26No, you won't.
01:26In fact, tour players have sometimes been disqualified because they've had a slightly different model
01:31lurking in the bottom of the bag, had to put one in place sometimes during the round and
01:35fall and fall of the rules later on.
01:38But for us, that's not an issue.
01:39Every time you get to a new tee, you can use a different ball if you wish to.
01:43Yeah, and there are scenarios where you might want to swap balls.
01:45Maybe there's a front right pin that you can see up by the green.
01:49You might want to switch to a softer ball to give you a bit more spin into that approach
01:52shot.
01:53There's a few different...
01:54Or if it's quite windy, you want to switch to a lower flying golf ball, you could do
01:58that as well.
01:58Yeah, you can do that.
01:59I mean, the reality is most people don't, but you could and occasionally it might just
02:04save you a shot.
02:05And worth pointing out as well, Jez, that if I was to hit my tee shot into a lake, for
02:09example,
02:09I don't have to get the exact same make and model of ball out of my bag that I started
02:13the hole with.
02:14You don't.
02:15What you can't do is change a ball during the play of the hole if you found it.
02:19Just because you fancy changing, the ball has to actually be cut or cracked for you to
02:24be able to change it during the play of a hole.
02:26There you have it.
02:26So this is a really important one.
02:27Use the rules of golf to your advantage.
02:29Pick and make a model of golf ball that's going to give you the best chance to shoot the
02:33best score on that particular hole.
02:57Go on.
02:59Nice.
03:00So probably a lot of you watching this video thinking what on earth has Joel just done
03:04here?
03:04He's clearly broken some sort of rule, having some practice swings in a bunker, coming
03:08out.
03:08You may have been hitting this really good shot.
03:10That's probably a gimme.
03:11But as I understand it, Jez, that is perfectly permitted in the rules of golf.
03:14Explain why.
03:15It is because the rules changed in 2019.
03:19Prior to 2019, that would have been a penalty offence.
03:22But now the restrictions on touching sand in a bunker only apply to the bunker your ball
03:29is actually lying in.
03:30So there is actually nothing to stop you within the rules going and so you're having a bad day
03:34in the sand.
03:35You just can't quite get your head around it.
03:37Crucial shot to keep momentum.
03:39You go and have a couple of switches in another bunker and then come and play your shot as well
03:42as you just did there.
03:43That might just save your shot.
03:44Obviously, you've got to be a bit careful that you don't wind your playing companions
03:48up by doing it time and time again.
03:49Or hold up play.
03:50Or hold up play.
03:51But there is nothing to stop you now having practiced swings without a ball, obviously
03:55you can't put a ball in there, in another bunker before coming and playing the bunker
03:59shot you actually face.
04:00I think that's a really crucial way of using the rules to your advantage because you can
04:03gain a real sense of what the sand is like, the texture of it, the depth of it.
04:08You can wiggle your feet and you can feel how the club is entering and exiting the sand.
04:11So that's going to give you a really big advantage.
04:13It is.
04:14But as we say, you know, from a slow play perspective, if you did this on every hole, I think
04:18you'd
04:18probably not have many people want to play with you fairly soon.
04:20I would agree.
04:21But I think, you know, frowned upon.
04:22But if you are really struggling in your bunker, use that to your advantage.
04:25It might help you on your next shot.
04:32Ooh.
04:33Ooh, Jez, I bet that you're allowed to practice your chip shots on a tee.
04:37Ah, well, actually you can.
04:40Really?
04:41Yes, because although, you know, most people would think you're not allowed to practice
04:45at all during a competition, if you look at rule 5.5, it says that you can practice
04:51your chipping or putting on or near the putting green you've last played, last completed,
04:55or on or near the next tee you're about to play, as long as you don't unduly delay play.
05:00And as you're sitting there, twiddling your thumbs, waiting to play, there's nothing going
05:04on here.
05:04We can't play for a while.
05:05So I can practice my chipping on this tee or indeed back on the last green if that
05:09wasn't going to hold play up.
05:11No bunker shots there.
05:12Bunker shots are prohibited.
05:13There you go.
05:14If you're waiting to tee off, use your time wisely, have a little bit of a practice,
05:17and who knows, you might play the upcoming hole even better than before.
05:21Right, Jez, I've just pushed my approach shot.
05:24Yes.
05:24Typically, you know, I'm very close to the green, I would love to putt this, but I've
05:27drawn a stinking lie, loads of grass behind the ball, I'm probably going to have to chip
05:31this.
05:32But in doing so, in taking my stance, it's clear that I'm stood on this sprinkler head.
05:36I know I'm entitled to some sort of relief.
05:38Yeah.
05:38How can I use the rules of golf to my advantage here?
05:40Well, the fact that you're on a sprinkler head is your source of hope here, because
05:44you can take relief from that.
05:46Now, you find your nearest point of complete relief, which is probably only going to be
05:50six inches away to the left.
05:51Where the ball would be for that, is there, that's your reference point.
05:56And now you get a one club length relief area from there, using the longest club in
06:01your bag.
06:02Not a putter?
06:03No, not a putter, so typically your driver.
06:06So now you can see that by marking that out, that's not near the hole.
06:10You can now drop from the rough into a much better lie.
06:14And the rules only say the relief area must be in the general area as well for when you're
06:19dropping from the general area.
06:20It doesn't say if you're in thick rough, you must drop in thick rough.
06:24Fringes and aprons are part of the general area.
06:25So in this scenario, by being close to that sprinkler head, you've drawn a good, good,
06:30good card, as it were.
06:31And now you can drop it into a much better place and in theory, potentially hole it for birdie.
06:36Okay, so let's demonstrate that now.
06:38So I'm dropping it knee high.
06:39It's rolled.
06:40It's gone slightly nearer, so you'd have to drop again.
06:42Okay.
06:44That has as well.
06:44So now you place it where it landed the second time.
06:47So there we go.
06:48Ball is in play and you can get a putter to it.
06:51I'm absolutely delighted with that.
06:52I'm much more confident of getting up and down from this scenario.
06:54So there you have it.
06:55I've used the rules of golf to my advantage.
06:57I've gone from an iffy lie to a pretty good one.
06:59That's going to give me a better chance of getting up and down.
07:02Right, Jez, we've reached the green.
07:04We are in the same team in a four ball better ball match.
07:06Yep.
07:06And in this particular scenario, I am closest to the hole with a putt for a par.
07:10Yep.
07:10You are furthest from the hole with a putt for a birdie.
07:13And you can see our opponent's ball marker is kind of in between that further away than mine.
07:17Yep.
07:17Not as far as yours.
07:18You are due next to play.
07:20Sort of, yes.
07:20But in this scenario, we might want to flip it and me go first.
07:24How do the rules allow for that to happen and what would be the advantage of that?
07:27Well, in a four ball better ball match play scenario, the honour is the sides rather
07:31than the individual players.
07:33So as long as one of us is the one due to play next, either of us can actually play.
07:39So in this scenario, it could be advantageous for you to have a go at that, make the par
07:44and then free me up to have a more aggressive or assertive run at my birdie putt, knowing
07:49that the worst I can do is no worse than what you have already got.
07:52Yeah.
07:53So that would be one scenario.
07:55Also, if we were on a similar line, the one nearer the hole might choose to go first,
08:00just to give the player further away but in fewer shots a better read.
08:05Yeah.
08:06And it's not just the green where this will come into force, is it?
08:08You can use it further down the hole as well.
08:10No, you could, yeah.
08:10Let's say I was further away from you but in a bunker coming in, it's a risky shot.
08:16I don't know whether I can pull it off.
08:17You're closer and you've got a wedge in your hands.
08:21You might go first to get the ball in close so that I then think, okay, well, there's
08:25no danger here.
08:27He's going to make par at worst.
08:28I can have a go at this if it comes off great.
08:30If it doesn't, no issue.
08:32Yeah.
08:32So in match play, there are some tactical elements involved in terms of the order that
08:35you play.
08:36Obviously, for me, it puts a bit of extra pressure in holding this putt.
08:39Let's see if I can do it and help me give you a free run at your birdie.
08:42A little bit left to right.
08:45Oh, no doubt.
08:46Just held on.
08:47There you go.
08:47Okay, so use the rules of golf to your advantage.
08:49Free up yourself on the green.
08:50Hopefully, you'll hold those birdie putts.
08:57Excuse me.
08:58What are you doing?
08:59I'm just looking to see what club I think you're probably about to hit.
09:03Oh, I didn't know you were allowed to do that.
09:04Well, this is one of these sort of grey areas of advice.
09:08It's not really a grey area because the rules say, well, I can't ask you what club you're
09:12about to hit or I can't move anything in your bag to see what club you've hit.
09:16So I couldn't move a head cover or a towel or a bag cover.
09:20If I can see what club you're hitting just by looking, then that is not a breach of the rules.
09:26And it's not a case of, you know, just glancing over, you're literally allowed to get an inspection of what
09:31club I've hit.
09:32You could.
09:32Obviously, people don't really do that.
09:34But obviously, if you as the player really didn't want someone to do that, the simple solution is to just
09:39put a head cover over your clubs or a towel over your clubs.
09:42And then I cannot access them.
09:45But all the time the bag is clearly visible like that.
09:48I can look and try and work out what club you're hitting.
09:50And that is not a breach of the rules.
09:52The rules covering advice are 10.2a.
09:55And you'll see in there that you're not allowed to touch another player's equipment when trying to work out what
10:00they're hitting.
10:00But you can look.
10:02There you go.
10:02So if you're a nosy golfer, you get away with it in the rules of golf.
10:05And it might just help you hit the right club on a par three.
10:21Great shot, partner.
10:23Right.
10:23So here's a question for you.
10:24Jez and I are playing foursomes.
10:26How many shots do you think we've played now up to this point?
10:30Well, I won't give too much away, Jez.
10:32Let's talk about the rule we're covering in this video, in this scenario that's just played out.
10:35Okay.
10:36Well, the rule here is that any time the ball is in the teeing area as defined by the rules,
10:40you are allowed to re-tee it in any part of that teeing area.
10:46So it's important to remember that it's the teeing area as defined by the rules, which is two club lengths
10:50back from the outside front edges of the markers, not the whole tee block.
10:54Yeah.
10:54But if you virtually whiff it as you did there, and I actually wanted to tee off in a different
10:59part of, well, I can re-tee it anyway.
11:00Anywhere within here.
11:01I can go anywhere in the teeing area and I can re-tee it.
11:06It's a pretty niche scenario, but it might just come in handy sometimes.
11:10Well, there was the one scenario where this could really come in handy if you're playing potentially a mixed foursomes
11:16match or if your partner maybe can't carry a hazard that's in front of the tee.
11:31Yeah.
11:31Yeah.
11:32Yeah.
11:39And the other scenario where it might occasionally happen is you nail it, hits a tree full on, comes back
11:47and somehow nestles back in the teeing area, which you do see occasionally on social media.
11:52In that scenario, you're not expected to play it off the deck.
11:55You can just re-tee it and you would be playing two.
11:58There you go.
11:58A pretty rare scenario, but there could be instances where you're able to re-tee the ball to gain an
12:03advantage using the rules of golf.
12:05Right.
12:05So, Jez, we're on the second hole of the old course here at Gogma Golf Club.
12:09Yeah.
12:09We're just off the green.
12:10Most people would putt it, but some people might chip it.
12:14Some severe slopes down to the green.
12:16The flag and then beyond the green, it's a big runoff.
12:19There's some bunkers down there.
12:20In the summer, with the severity of this slope, balls could fly quite a long way and it could leave
12:25your ball in quite a precarious position.
12:27Yes.
12:28If I do hit a bad shot from this scenario, what are my options to help me and use the
12:32rules to my advantage?
12:33Well, let's say you go for the risky shot and you try and play a kind of soft hand lob
12:37and you knife it.
12:38Yeah.
12:38Suddenly, it's in that bunker down there, not completely unrealistic.
12:42No.
12:43Now, that was for birdie.
12:45You're now in a bunker trying for a par from a 50-yard bunker shot.
12:49It might be up against the back lip.
12:51You've got virtually no chance.
12:52Perhaps what you should have done is putt this.
12:55And the rules of golf kind of allow you to do that.
12:58Obviously, there's the stroke and distance penalty.
13:00So, where you were playing three, you'd now be playing five.
13:04But that might be your best chance to escape here with no more than six.
13:08Yeah.
13:08Because you get in that bunker and all sorts could go wrong.
13:10And I think people don't really know that in this scenario, you can take stroke and distance even though you
13:15are closer to the hole and where that ball came to rest.
13:18And you could even do it on, you know, a four-foot putt that crazily has got away from you
13:22and suddenly it's 40 yards back down the fairway.
13:25Do you think, okay, I've got more chance of holding that four-footer now than playing a good chip?
13:31You might even have gone into a penalty area where you'd have to take a drop anyway.
13:35So, sometimes taking stroke and distance from around the green or on the green might just be the best option
13:42to limit the damage.
13:43Yeah, that's a very good option to give you some hindsight.
13:45If you've chosen the wrong club maybe in this scenario, go from the waist to the putter.
13:48Use stroke and distance.
13:50It might help you knock a few shots off your scores.
13:52So, there you have it.
13:53That concludes our look at the eight ways you can use the rules of golf to your advantage.
13:57I can see all of you now going out and practicing in different bunkers on the course.
14:01Remember, if you do do that, don't hold up play unduly.
14:04But hopefully you found this video useful.
14:06Do click the like button down below if you did and subscribe to the Golf Month YouTube channel
14:10so you don't miss any of your other rules-related videos.
14:13But that's all from me from Golf Club.
14:15I'll see you next time.
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