The USGA and R & A have announced the new decisions and revisions on the Rules of Golf that will become effective on January 1, 2014. One of those new decisions is sure to create a little buzz in the golfing world. The new decisions and revisions are:
*New Decision 14-3/18: Players will be allowed to access weather reports on their cell phones during a round. The USGA and R & A felt a need for players to protect their own safety.
*New Decision 18/4: Provides that, where enhanced technological evidence (e.g. HDTV, digital recording or online visual media, etc) shows that a ball has left its position and come to rest in another location, the ball will not be deemed to have moved if that movement was not reasonably discernible to the naked eye at the time. This new decision now takes the “call in viewer” of a rules infraction out of the equation. No other sport allows fans to impact the outcome of an event and now neither does golf. I have been waiting for such a decision for a long time and I fully support it. How do you feel about it?
*Revised Decision 27-2a/1.5 Meaning of “Goes Forward to Search”: Players will be allowed to walk forward approximately 50 yards to determine the ball’s location without forfeiting their right to play a provisional ball. The distance was never defined in the original decision.
*Revised Decision 25-2/0.5: Illustrations were added to help clarify the circumstances in which the ball is (and is not) considered to be embedded in the ground.
What are your thoughts on the new decisions and revisions to the Rules of Golf. Please give us your feedback on Mike Fay Golf, Mike Fay Golf Facebook page, Mike Fay Golf on Twitter, or Mike Fay Golf on Google+. Hope you are “Playing By The Rules”.
Mike and Frank show you the difference between Water Hazards and Lateral Water Hazards. This is the first in a series of videos based on the popular blog Playing By The Rules with PGA Rules Official Frank Guastella on www.mikefaygolf.com. Our goal through this video series is to explain the rules in a way you can understand them with a bit of fun! If you would like to see Frank’s collection of Playing By The Rules articles go to this link. Click Here.
I had an interesting Rules situation arise while officiating at a Blue Water Junior Golf Tour event at the Port Huron Golf Club a few weeks ago. On the sixteenth hole, lying in some heavy grass was an abandoned ball which had broken into pieces. A player hit their tee shot into the heavy grass. The player arrived at the spot where they had thought that their ball had landed, found what they thought was their ball and hit it. After hitting the shot, and realizing what they hit was a piece of the ball, the player walked forward about fifteen feet and found their ball, which was the same brand as the abandoned broken ball. The player then hit their ball and finished play of the hole and recorded their score not counting the stroke taken with the abandoned ball.
On the next tee before teeing off, the player called me over to tell me what had happened. I told the player that they would have to add two strokes to the score they had made on the previous hole because the stroke they made with the abandoned ball was a stroke made at a wrong ball. The player argued with me saying that the abandoned broken ball is not a ball and therefore they had not played a wrong ball. I took out my decisions book and referred the player to Decision 15/3 Player Plays Stroke at Part of Abandoned Ball Which Had Broken Into Pieces. This exact situation had happened before and had been ruled on. According to the Decision, the player had made a stroke with a wrong ball and thus incurred a two-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule 15 – 3b. The Rule states that if a competitor in stroke play makes a stroke or strokes at a wrong ball, he incurs a penalty of two strokes.
With severe weather predicted for this week’s US Open, the discontinuance of play could come into effect and the Rules of Golf provide a procedure when play is suspended by the Committee. When play is suspended by the Committee, if the players in a match or group are between the play of two holes, they must not resume play until the Committee has ordered a resumption of play. If they have started play of a hole, they may discontinue play immediately or continue play of the hole, provided they do so without delay. If the players choose to continue play of the hole, they are permitted to discontinue play before completing it. In any case, play must be discontinued after the hole is completed. The players must resume play when the Committee has ordered a resumption of play. (Rule 6 – 8b)
When a player discontinues play of a hole under Rule 6 – 8a, he may lift his ball, without penalty, only if the Committee has suspended play or there is a good reason to lift it. Before lifting the ball the player must mark his position. If the player discontinues play and lifts his ball without specific permission from the Committee, he must, when reporting to the Committee (Rule 6-8a), report the lifting of the ball. If the player lifts the ball without a good reason to do so, fails to mark the position of the ball before lifting or fails to report the lifting of the ball, he incurs a one stroke penalty.
The Committee may also provide, in the conditions of a competition (Rule 33-1), that in potentially dangerous situations play must be discontinued immediately following a suspension of play by the Committee. If a player fails to discontinue play immediately, he is disqualified, unless circumstances warrant waiving the penalty as provided in Rule 33-7.
If you have a Rules of Golf question please direct it to Mike Fay Golf or #askthepro on Twitter @MikeFayGolf
Rule 27 deals with Ball Lost or Out of Bounds; Provisional Ball. If we go to Rule 27 – 2 Provisional Ball, we find the procedure for playing a provisional ball. The procedure states: “If a ball may be lost outside a water hazard or may be out of bounds, to save time the player may play another ball provisionally in accordance with Rule 27 – 1. The player must inform his opponent in match play or his marker or fellow-competitor in stroke play that he intends to play a provisional ball, and he must play it before he or his partner goes forward to search for the original ball. If he fails to do so and plays another ball, that ball is not a provisional ball and becomes the ball in play under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 27 – 1); the original ball is lost.”
Rule 27 – 2a specifically provides that the player must inform his opponent, marker or fellow competitor that he intends to play a provisional ball. The players statement must specifically mention the words “provisional ball” or must make it clear that he is proceeding under Rule 27 – 2a. Therefore a player who says nothing has put another ball into play. The following examples of statements that DO NOT satisfy the requirements of announcing a provisional ball: (a) “That might be lost so I am going to re-load.” (b) “That one might be out of here.” (c) “I’d better hit another one.” (d) “I hit that one so deep into the woods I will never find it so I’ll play another.” The best thing you can say is: “I believe that ball may be out of bounds so I am going to play a provisional ball.” Terminology is everything so make sure you use the proper language when announcing your provisional ball intentions.
