There are many penalty areas in golf that may affect your play. Each comes with its own challenges including what type of relief we are allowed. Relief from a penalty area is one of the most misunderstood rule in golf. Many players do not know the difference between red and yellow stakes when it comes to relief. After playing many tournaments over the years, I watched many players make the wrong call with respect to relief because they did not know all the options available to them. Well, today lets clarify the different relief options in order to minimize the number of extra strokes we have to add to our final score.
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Hitting Your Ball By Mistake
Have you ever hit a ball during a practice swing? Of course it was unintentional and besides the embarrassment, there should be no penalty for this faux pas. Over the years I was asked about this mistake and since the rules changed in 2019, the embarrassment would be compounded by extra strokes on your scorecard. As I think about this scary scenario, I often wonder if people understand rule that the rule has changed and there is still a chance to be assessed a penalty stroke depending on where the incident happened. Let me explain further.
Continue readingDo You Follow The Rules Of Golf?
The fair question is if you follow all the rules of golf? There are many different rules that govern how to play any particular golf shot. There are local rules that apply only to a specific golf course to make playing at that track easier. There some traditions many players consider rules, but in fact are not. Playing by all the rules of golf is a challenge for most players. I will admit that if I am playing a friendly match with my friends, I will bend a few rules just for fun. During a competitive match, absolutely not! I play by all the rules and try to ensure he integrity of the game is kept at all times. Having said that, Golf.com conducted a survey that I think is worth reading. I want to touch on a bit of their findings today.
Continue readingKnowing The Rules Of Golf Is Important
I like to read different situations about the rules of golf. How the rules are enforce and interpreted can determine whether you win or lose a match. I came across one from Golf.com that was interesting. I immediately thought I knew how to interpret the rule and was happy to see that I was correct. I would have had the same discussion as the questioners opponent and claim the same result. Take a look.
Continue readingHow To Properly Drop A Golf Ball
Many times golfers just toss their golf ball into a general relief area and carry on with their round. When playing a friendly, I am less concerned about this than when playing in a tournament. A competition is a different beast and there are more rules to consider when taking relief and placing another ball in play. It is not complicated, however there are three rules that constitute a golf ball being dropped properly. The penalty for breaching these rules range from a free redrop, a 1 stroke penalty or a 2 stroke penalty. So, understanding how to properly drop a golf ball is important to your score.
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The Grateful Golfer 