Rules Blog with Barbara O'Keeffe

Rules Archive

Match Play Rules and Information
Why did Rory get a 2 stroke penalty in Pebble Beach for an incorrect drop?
2023/24 Winter Rules Reminder
Make sure you correctly identify your ball before you play it
Foursomes and Four-Ball Rules Reminder
Your ball is unplayable in a bunker – what are your options?
If you mark, lift and clean your ball in the rough accidentally when it is only permitted on the fairway, what is the ruling?
Repairing plug marks near your ball
Winter Golf – Points to Remember
You can go back and play a provisional ball during the 3 minute ball search
Quiz Answers – how did you get on?
Quick Quiz on the new Rules – have a go!
And another thing….a few points following the Bearna Rules Night
Bunkers and the New Rules
Ball played from the red penalty area on the 4th comes to rest in the same penalty area…what are my options?
New Flagstick Rules
New Putting Green Rules
No penalty if your ball accidentally hits you or your equipment
Dropping the ball from knee height
New Year, New Rules : you can no longer set down a club to help take your stance

Rules Posts

Match Play Rules and Information

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Barbara O'Keeffe

Match Play is a very different form of play to stroke play in which a player (or a side) and an opponent compete against each other based on holes won, lost or halved.

Most of the Rules of Golf apply in both forms of play but certain rules apply in only one or the other. Some Match Play Rules are highlighted below.

In all forms of Match Play : Singles, Foursomes and Four-ball

There is no penalty for playing outside the teeing area or from the wrong teeing area but you may be asked to replay the stroke. This request must be made immediately
There is no penalty for playing out of order but you may be asked to replay the stroke and again this request must be made immediately. Order of play is sacrosanct in match play so always check with your opponent if unsure whose turn it is to play.
When both balls are on the putting green and at rest there is no penalty if a ball in motion after a putt then hits another player’s ball. The ball at rest that was moved is replaced and the other ball is played as it lies. Rule 11.1a
Practice is allowed on the course before and between rounds unless there is a local rule saying otherwise
Make sure you have an identifying mark on your ball as it is loss of hole if you play a wrong ball. Use a ball with different markings if playing a provisional ball and announce clearly that you are playing a provisional ball

Make concessions clear as they cannot be withdrawn or declined and are final. If a player lifts a ball under the mistaken impression that the opponent has conceded their next stroke due to the opponent’s statement being misunderstood, the player may replace the ball without penalty. Rule 3.2b
It is your responsibility to know at which holes shots are given or received. Make sure you are clear about the state of the match before you tee off at the next hole.
You must give correct information re the number of strokes you have taken when asked by your opponent and if you make a mistake it must be corrected before your opponent makes another stroke or takes a similar action like conceding a stroke or hole. If you give wrong information to your opponent without correcting it before they play, the penalty is loss of hole as it could affect your opponent’s playing strategy for the hole. Inform your opponent as soon as practicable any time you get a penalty. Rule 3.2d
You have three minutes to search for a ball from when the player or the player’s caddie reach the spot where the ball may be. Spectators may always help search for a ball. Make sure one of you starts the timer on your phone or watch so that there are no rows if the ball is found after three minutes as it is then no longer in play and a lost ball.
If you have a caddie they are not allowed stand behind you to help in aiming unless you back away before you make the stroke and the caddie is no longer in this ‘restricted area’. Rule 10.2b
If a rules issue arises during a match do not concede a hole unless you are absolutely certain that the penalty for the disputed point is loss of hole or indeed if any penalty applies. If you cannot resolve the issue you may ask for a ruling (previously called make a claim). You must continue with the match and get a later ruling. This is covered in Rule 20.1b
A one stroke penalty in stroke play is also a one stroke penalty in match play
Limit of 14 clubs – if more than 14, the state of the match is adjusted after play of the hole when the discovery is made, the match score is revised by deducting one hole for each hole where a breach occurred with a maximum deduction of 2 holes. Rule 4.1b
You may overlook a breach of a rule by your opponent but you may not both agree to waive any rule or penalty that applies. Rule 3.2

Foursomes (Alternate Shot) Rule 22

Two partners compete as a side by playing one ball in alternating order on each hole
Penalty for playing in the wrong order is loss of hole, that is the general penalty
If the side decides to play a provisional ball it must be played by the partner whose turn it is to play the side’s next stroke. Player A’s tee shot may be lost or out of bounds so Player B plays the provisional ball.
Penalty strokes do not affect the order of play
Either player may take any action for the side before a stroke is made for example mark, lift, replace or drop a ball
A partner must not stand on or close to an extension of the line of play behind the ball while their partner is making a stroke to gain information for the side’s next stroke.

Four-ball Rule 23

Four-ball is a form of play where two partners compete together as a side with each playing their own ball. A side’s score for the hole is the lower score of the two partners on that hole.
Partners may play in the order they consider best so if it is a side’s turn to play either the player or partner may play next
As in foursomes either player may take any action for the side before a stroke is made such as to mark, lift, replace or drop a ball
One player may represent the side so if a player is running late the other player can start the match. When the partner arrives they can give advice to the player if it is during play of a hole and can start their match at the next tee.
As in foursomes a player must not stand on or close to an extension of the line of play behind the ball while their partner is making a stroke to gain information for their (the player’s) next stroke
If one of the players plays a wrong ball and loses a hole the partner may continue play of the hole as the penalty applies only to the player.
Normally a penalty applies only to the player but there are a few exceptions, for example both players in the side are penalised if either breaches the 14 club rule see Rule 23.9
A player must not continue play of a hole after the player’s next stroke has been conceded if it would help the partner.

If the player does so their score for the hole stands without penalty but the partner’s score for the hole cannot count for the side. An example would be if a short putt was conceded and it was on the same line of play as the partners. If the player went ahead and took the putt it would help the partner.

Have the R&A Rules of Golf App downloaded on your phone and most questions can be answered in the Player’s Rule Finder

Why did Rory get a 2 stroke penalty in Pebble Beach for an incorrect drop?

Posted on February 1, 2024 by Barbara O'Keeffe

SInce the most recent revision of the Rules of Golf in 2023, when taking back on the line penalty relief you must now drop the ball back ON the imaginary line from where your ball was at rest and the hole. Once dropped, the ball is in play as long as it stays within one clublength of the spot on the ground on this line in any direction, including within one clublength nearer the hole. The spot where the ball is dropped creates the relief area which now is circular in shape. See the video explaining this rule in the Rules of Golf App – click on Learn at the bottom of the main page and then on Unplayable Ball where all the options under the rule are described. This is the correct way to drop any time you take back on the line penalty relief. Rory dropped the ball a clublength away from the imaginary line and was penalised two strokes for playing from a wrong place.

2023/24 Winter Rules Reminder

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Barbara O'Keeffe

1. When we have placing in the General Area as we do at the moment, mark the position of the ball – this is not compulsory but best practice – clean it and place it within 6 inches, no nearer the hole. You may place it only once.

2. The General Area is all areas of the course EXCEPT all Penalty Areas, Bunkers and the Green and Tee of the hole being played. This means that you cannot place the ball inside a penalty area even is it on grass inside the stakes. Play the ball as it lies or take penalty relief. You have no free relief for an embedded or plugged ball inside a penalty area.

3. The bunkers are now out of play so are treated as areas of GUR. Drop a ball within one club length of the nearest point of complete relief, no nearer the hole.

4. When taking free relief from temporary water on the course, leave the ball where it is or mark its position as you decide where to drop so that you have a reference point while you try to find the nearest point of complete relief, no nearer the hole that is dry, then drop the ball within one club length of this point.

Make sure you correctly identify your ball before you play it

Posted on September 27, 2023 by Barbara O'Keeffe

To avoid getting a penalty for playing a wrong ball always check that you correctly identify your ball before playing it. If your ball is in the rough or has gathered mud so that it is not easy to identify, mark its position first. pick it up and clean it only as much as is necessary to identify it and replace it. The rules do not allow you to touch and rotate the ball to identify it without first marking it. If you do the penalty is one stroke and the ball must be replaced. Put an identifying mark on your ball to avoid playing a wrong ball and follow the correct procedure to identify it. Rule 7.3 Lifting ball to identify it.

Foursomes and Four-Ball Rules Reminder

Posted on August 24, 2023 by Barbara O'Keeffe

When playing Foursomes golf as both partners compete as one side playing only one ball either partner may take any action that is allowed before a stroke is made such as to mark the spot of the ball, lift and replace it and drop and place a ball no matter which partner’s turn it is to play next for the side.

Penalty strokes do not affect the order of play. Have a look at Rule 22 which covers all the rules to do with Foursomes (Also known as Alternate Shot)

In playing Four-Ball golf a player may likewise take any action concerning the partner’s ball that the partner is allowed to take before making a stroke, see Rule 23.5a

In both Foursomes and Four-ball a player must not stand on or close to an extension of the line of play behind the ball while their partner is making a stroke to gain information for their (the player’s) next stroke. Rules 22.6 and 23.8

Finally please use your putter head to lower the flagstick to the ground after removing it from the hole to avoid unnecessary damage to our greens by dropping the flagstick on it.

Your ball is unplayable in a bunker – what are your options?

Posted on August 24, 2023 by Barbara O'Keeffe

You can declare your ball unplayable in a bunker and you options are the same as elsewhere in the general area ie under penalty of one stroke you can

Go back from where you played into the bunker, stroke and distance
Drop a ball within 2 club lengths of the ball, no nearer the hole, inside the bunker and
Drop a ball back on the (imaginary) line from the flagstick to where the ball is at rest in the bunker, going back as far as you like but still in the bunker.

If you choose options 2 or 3 you may be very restricted in where you can drop the ball inside the bunker. When the rules were revised in 2019 an additional option was introduced and you may now take the ball out of the bunker altogether for two penalty strokes so you may drop a ball back on the line behind the bunker on line with where the ball is at rest and the flagstick. It is well worth knowing this option as it is in addition to the stroke and distance option which will only cost you one penalty stroke but you may not want to go all the way back to where you played the ball into the bunker. Rule 19.3

If you mark, lift and clean your ball in the rough accidentally when it is only permitted on the fairway, what is the ruling?

Posted on April 29, 2023 by Barbara O'Keeffe

At the moment we can lift, clean and place within 6 inches on grass cut to fairway height but if you accidentally lift the ball anywhere else in the general area you must replace the ball on the exact spot and add one penalty stroke to your score for the hole for lifting your ball in play when it is not permitted. The same rule applies if you lift, clean and place your ball inside a penalty area. Hopefully this will no longer be an issue when we play the ball as it lies as the weather improves as that is how golf is meant to be played after all! It is no longer compulsory to mark the position of the ball before you lift it when the preferred lies (placing) local rule is in play but it is best practice to do so to make sure you put the ball back correctly.

Repairing plug marks near your ball

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Barbara O'Keeffe

Conditions on the course are getting softer as we head into winter and a ball will often plug after a stroke then hop out of its plug mark before coming to rest. If this plug mark is near the ball you cannot repair it before you make a stroke as in doing so you are improving the conditions affecting the stroke by which is meant improving the area of intended stance or swing, lie of the ball and line of play so resist the temptation to press it down with your foot! By all means repair the plug mark afterwards. The rules do allow us to repair plug marks on the green and it is good etiquette to repair any marks you see whether or not you were responsible for making them either before or after you putt.

Winter Golf – Points to Remember

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Barbara O'Keeffe

1. You have 3 minutes to search for a ball so time the search from when you get to where you think your ball may be. It can be difficult to find a ball in the soft ground after all the rain we have had.

2. If a crow takes your ball replace it or another ball on the original spot, which if not known can be estimated. No penalty. It must be known or virtually certain that the bird took the ball otherwise the ball is lost.

3. When you place the ball during the preferred lie period you can play either the original ball or a substituted ball under the new rules.

You can go back and play a provisional ball during the 3 minute ball search

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Barbara O'Keeffe

If a ball may be lost or out of bounds always play a provisional ball to save time. Ideally you should play the provisional ball before going forward to search but you may also go back during the 3 minute search period and play a provisional ball while others keep searching for you. If your original ball is found within the 3 minutes it is still your ball in play and a provisional ball played has to be abandoned. If after 3 minutes your original ball is not found then continue playing with the provisional ball which is now the ball in play, under penalty. It is important that someone in the group clocks the time that the player begins a ball search as 3 minutes goes by very quickly! The search time starts when the player him or herself get to where the original ball is thought to be.

Quiz Answers – how did you get on?

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Barbara O'Keeffe

Click on the link below for the answers and explanations to last week’s quiz.

Bearna Rules Quiz Answers

Quick Quiz on the new Rules – have a go!

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Barbara O'Keeffe

Rules Quiz

Click on Rules Quiz and see how you get on. Answers will be posted at the end of next week.

And another thing….a few points following the Bearna Rules Night

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Barbara O'Keeffe

Thank you all for attending the Bearna Club Rules Presentation. As many of the new rules as possible were covered and here are a few additional points:

No penalty if a ball strikes you, your partner, your caddie or equipment. Play the ball as it lies.
No penalty for casually leaning on a club in a bunker as long as you are not intentionally testing the condition of the sand.
If your ball is still in the teeing area after a stroke – that is, it is at rest in the rectangular area between the tee markers and 2 club lengths behind them then the ball may be re-teed without penalty. If it is mis-hit and comes to rest forward of the tee markers, play the ball as it lies as it is now in the general area or re-tee under penalty.
Free relief from any abnormal course condition is for interference to stance and area of intended swing as well as to the lie of the ball
In taking free relief from any abnormal course condition in a bunker or on the putting green you may take maximum available relief if you cannot find a spot that gives you full relief from the condition.

In answer to a question from the floor, you are penalised one stroke if you move a loose impediment and the ball moves anywhere on the course except the putting green. However if your ball is at rest in a penalty area, you have no intention of playing it and decide to take relief under penalty outside the penalty area then you may lift the ball and if you move loose impediments in lifting it there is no penalty as you are not playing the ball as it lies. Had you decided to play in the penalty area and moved loose impediments around the ball then you would be penalised one stroke.

Download the 2019 Rules of Golf App to your phone for easy access to the rules while on the course.

Bunkers and the New Rules

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Barbara O'Keeffe

Bunkers have a rule all to themselves in the 2019 Rules of Golf, Rule 12 and while the challenge of playing out of a bunker is the same the rules about playing from a bunker have changed

You may

Remove loose impediments from the bunker like leaves, twigs, stones or any natural object before you play from the bunker but be careful not to move the ball in the process – if you do the penalty is one stroke and replace the ball
As before remove any movable obstruction like a rake, litter or any other artificial object and if the ball moves in the process no penalty and replace the ball
To save time rake footprints before you play as long as it is for the sole purpose of caring for the course, is not testing the condition of the sand and is nowhere near your ball i.e. does not improve the lie or area of stance or swing of your ball
Use the new option under the unplayable rule of taking the ball out of the bunker altogether for 2 penalty strokes and dropping back on the line behind the bunker. This option is in addition to the normal unplayable ball options of stroke and distance, back on the line in the bunker and within 2 club lengths in the bunker.
Lean on your club in the bunker without incurring a penalty

Note: stones in bunkers can no longer me treated as movable obstructions by local rule as they are loose impediments by definition and can be removed under the new rules so be careful not to move the ball if moving stones near it in the bunker.

Ball played from the red penalty area on the 4th comes to rest in the same penalty area…what are my options?

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Barbara O'Keeffe

Your tee shot on the 4th ends up in the red penalty area on the right and you decide to play it but unfortunately it ends up still in the penalty area. What are your options if you do not want to play the ball as it lies? Under penalty of one stroke you can:

Take stroke and distance relief by playing from a relief area based on where the previous stroke was made in the penalty area, 4th shot
Take lateral relief, the reference point being where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area, 4th shot
Take back on the line relief by dropping a ball in a relief area based on a reference line going straight back from where it last crossed the edge of the penalty area and the hole (an unlikely option at the 4th in Bearna), 4th shot or
Play from the tee again, 4th shot

If you choose the first (stroke and distance) option, drop the ball and then decide NOT to play the dropped ball, for an additional penalty you may take lateral relief, back on the line relief or play again from the tee, 5th shot

All of these options are described in Rule 17-2, Options after Playing Ball from Penalty Area. You cannot declare a ball unplayable in a penalty area, you can only proceed under the penalty area rule.

New Flagstick Rules

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Barbara O'Keeffe

New Flagstick Rules

You can now leave the flagstick in the hole and if the ball strikes it, no penalty
You can have the flagstick attended as before or removed altogether
No penalty if the ball accidentally strikes the flagstick or the person attending it
Make your intention clear whether you want the flagstick left in, out or attended
A penalty will apply only if the ball is deliberately deflected or stopped by the person attending the flagstick or the removed flagstick is deliberately left in a position that could strike the ball
If the ball is resting against the flagstick and any part of the ball is below the lip of the hole, the ball is considered holed and can be removed from the hole

Rule 12-2 The Flagstick

New Putting Green Rules

Posted on February 23, 2019 by Barbara O'Keeffe

THERE ARE LOTS OF CHANGES TO THE PUTTING GREEN RULES:

Any damage can be repaired such as ball marks, old hole plugs, shoe damage, animal tracks or hoof marks
Embedded objects like stones or acorns can be removed

However, damage does not include natural surface imperfections, natural wear of the hole or normal greenkeeping practices like aeration holes

Your caddie or partner can now touch the putting green with a hand, foot or anything held by them to indicate a line of play for you

There is no penalty for accidentally causing the ball or ball marker to move, replace the ball or ball marker on the original spot (which if not known must be estimated)
If the ball has been marked, lifted and replaced and is then moved by natural forces like the wind, replace the ball on its original spot (which if not known must be estimated)
If the ball was not already marked and was then moved by the wind, play from its new position
Always remove the ball marker before you take your putt. If it is left in position while you putt you get one penalty stroke

You must always take free relief for a ball on a wrong green. A wrong green is any green on the course other than the putting green of the hole being played plus any practice green.

A penalty still applies in stroke play if a player’s ball in motion from a stroke on the green hits another ball at rest on the green, however the rules now allow you to pick up the ball at rest to avoid it being struck! No penalty in match play, replace the ball at rest that was moved and play the other ball as it lies.

No penalty if your ball accidentally hits you or your equipment

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Barbara O'Keeffe

A welcome change to the Rules of Golf in 2019 is that if a player’s ball in motion accidentally hits the player or any person or outside influence

There is no penalty to any player
This is true even if the ball hits you the player, the opponent or any other player or any of their caddies or equipment
The ball must be played as it lies
Penalty still applies in stroke play if the player’s ball in motion hits another ball at rest on the putting green and both balls were on the putting green before the stroke, the player gets the general penalty (two strokes). No penalty in match play and play the ball as it lies. The ball that was at rest and moved is replaced.

Have a look at Rule 11 which covers the accidental movement of a ball, deliberate actions that affect a ball in motion plus what to do if a ball comes to rest ON a person, animal or moving outside influence (like a buggy).

The penalty for a double hit has also been removed. If a player’s club accidentally hits the ball more than once, there has been only one stroke and no penalty.

Note this is only if the double hit is accidental! The video doing the rounds of an intentional double hit to get a ball around a tree while hilarious is completely against the rules! Rule 10.1

Dropping the ball from knee height

Posted on January 13, 2019 by Barbara O'Keeffe

Any time you drop the ball when taking free relief or relief under penalty you now must drop the ball from knee height. This means knee height when you are in a standing position. You now drop the ball in a relief area rather than on a particular spot and this area is measured from a reference point. So when dropping from temporary water or from a path for example, the reference point is the nearest point of complete relief and the relief area is one club length no nearer the hole from this point. If you are dropping under penalty from red stakes, now called a penalty area, your reference point is where the ball last crossed the edge of the penalty area and the relief area is the area within two club lengths of this point no nearer the hole. When dropping back on the line your reference point should be marked with a tee and your relief area is one club length no nearer the hole from this point and the ball has to come to rest within this area and not forward of it. Have a look at the video link on our home page which illustrates the new dropping procedure.

If you accidentally drop from shoulder height just drop again from knee height and always make sure the ball has been dropped in the relief area.

A club length now means the longest club in your bag with the exception of your putter and it is this club that defines the relief area even if you use a shorter club in measuring.

New Year, New Rules : you can no longer set down a club to help take your stance

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Barbara O'Keeffe

The major changes to the Rules Of Golf have been well flagged like the 3 minute ball search and dropping the ball from knee height. Let’s look at another equally important change that comes into effect on January 1st 2019. You can no longer put a club down on the ground to help take your stance and you cannot avoid a penalty if you do so.

Rule 10.2b ‘A player must not take a stance for the stroke using any object that was set down by or for the player to help in lining up his or her feet or body, such as a club set down on the ground to show the line of play

If the player takes a stance in breach of this rule, he or she cannot avoid penalty by backing away from the stance and removing the object.

Rules Blog with Barbara O’Keeffe

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Rules Blog with Barbara O’Keeffe