While working as a Rules Official at a junior golf tournament this summer a young player approached me about a situation he had experienced during his round. After the player had played a stroke from just off the putting green, his ball came to rest overhanging the lip of the hole but not resting against the unattended flagstick. He reached the hole without unreasonable delay, waited an additional ten seconds, as the Rules allow, and then removed the flagstick. Shortly after removing the flagstick, the ball fell into the hole. The player replaced the ball and then putted it into the hole. A fellow competitor in his group told him he had holed out once the ball fell into the hole. The player asked me if he had proceeded correctly and if not, what was his score for the hole.
It is a question of fact whether the player’s action caused the ball to move and any doubt should be resolved against the player. The flagstick is a movable obstruction. If the movement of the ball was directly attributed to the removal of flagstick, the ball must be replaced on the lip of the hole without penalty (Rule 24-1a). If the player caused the ball to move but the movement of the ball was not directly attributable to the removal of flagstick, the ball must be replaced on the lip of the hole, and the player incurs a penalty stroke under Rule 18-2a.
If the player’s actions did not cause the ball to move and the ball fell into the hole, the provisions of Rule 16-2 (Ball Overhanging Hole) apply, whether the removal of the flagstick occurs before or after the lapse of time contemplated by Rule 16-2. In this case, the players actions did not cause the ball to move and fall into the hole. Rule 16-2 states that when any part of the ball overhangs the lip of the hole, the player is allowed enough time to reach the hole without unreasonable delay and an additional ten seconds to determine whether the ball is at rest. If by then the ball has not fallen into the hole, it is deemed to be at rest. If the ball subsequently falls into the hole, the player is deemed to have holed out with his last stroke and must add a penalty stroke to his score for the hole; otherwise there is no penalty under the rule. In our case, the player was deemed to holed out on his last stroke and a penalty stroke was added to his score.
Frank Guastella, PGA Rules Official Michigan Section PGA
Staff Writer, Mike Fay Golf
If you have a question for Frank here’s where you can contact him.
The Kevin Na slow play phenomenon at the Tournament Players Championship has everyone in the golf community talking about slow play. Na has become the poster-boy for slow play and has been torched in the locker room and in social media. He was put on the clock in the third round of the tournament and then recorded a bad time, which means by PGA Tour Pace of Play guidelines, he is likely subject to an automatic fine.
Rule 6-7 in the Rules of Golf covers Undue Delay; Slow Play. The Rule states: “The player must play without undue delay and in accordance with any pace of play guidelines that the Committee may establish. Between completion of a hole and playing from the next teeing ground, the player must not unduly delay play.” Note 2 under this Rule says: “For the purpose of preventing slow play, the Committee may, in the conditions of a competition (Rule 33-1), establish pace of play guidelines including maximum periods of time allowed to complete a stipulated round, a hole or a stroke.”
The normal penalty for a breach of Rule 6-7 would be two strokes in stroke play. In stroke play, the Committee may, in such a condition, modify the penalty for a breach of this Rule as follows:
First offense – One stroke
Second offense – Two strokes
For subsequent offense – Disqualification
In Michigan PGA events, we define undue delay as taking more than 40 seconds to play a stroke. Other than on the putting green, the timing of a player’s stroke will begin when he and his caddie have had a reasonable opportunity to reach his ball, it is his turn to play, and he can play without interference or distraction. Time spent determining yardage will count as time taken for that stroke. On the putting green, timing will begin after a player has been allowed a reasonable amount of time to lift, clean and replace his ball, repair his ball mark and other ball marks on his line of putt and remove loose impediments. Time spent looking at the line from beyond the hole and/or behind the ball will count as time taken for that stroke. Our Pace of Play Policy has been adopted from USGA and PGA Tour events.
If you have any questions on the Rules of Golf you can submit them to “Ask The Pros” @new.mikefaygolf on Twitter or you can contact me direct at [email protected] I hope you are “Playing by the Rules.”
