Putting Stance Rule

[coachdaniel]

I was playing a Golfweek Tour event last weekend, can not seem to find a ruling on this.

My opponent (twice) in the round, missed a putt that ended up a few inches past the hole.  He walked up and "pulled" the ball into the hole.

The hole was between the ball and his stance.  I thought there was a 2 stroke penalty for this but I can not seem to find a ruling for it..

 

 

[mohearn]

58 minutes ago, coachdaniel said:

I was playing a Golfweek Tour event last weekend, can not seem to find a ruling on this.

My opponent (twice) in the round, missed a putt that ended up a few inches past the hole.  He walked up and "pulled" the ball into the hole.

The hole was between the ball and his stance.  I thought there was a 2 stroke penalty for this but I can not seem to find a ruling for it..

 

 

You could look at 10.1a Fairly Striking the ball, or perhaps 10.1c Making Stroke While Standing Across or on Line of Play (use the full rules, *not* the players edition.)

Do you think he's trying to gain advantage or just doesn't realize maybe he's doing something...

[iacas]

9 minutes ago, mohearn said:

You could look at 10.1a Fairly Striking the ball, or perhaps 10.1c Making Stroke While Standing Across or on Line of Play (use the full rules, *not* the players edition.)

This is two things…

• If he's not fairly hitting the ball — if he's "pulling" the ball (i.e. pushing it but toward him, not "striking" the ball), then that's not a legal stroke.
• If he's hitting (striking) the ball, and your concern is just that he's standing astride the line of his putt… then the exception is typically considered for short putts like this - "Exception – There Is No Penalty If Stance Is Taken Accidentally or to Avoid Another Player’s Line of Play."

So, as long as he's hitting the putt in a legal (i.e. "striking" it, not pushing, scraping, or spooning, etc.)… I'd be happy he probably does it quickly and forget about it.

[Zippo]

Hmmm. I always thought the "line of the putt" ended at the hole such that, if he's on the opposite side of the flag and ball, he is not astride the putt line. As @iacasindicated it does need to be a tap or stroke with the putter - not a pull of the ball to the hole.

[pganapathy]

6 hours ago, coachdaniel said:

I was playing a Golfweek Tour event last weekend, can not seem to find a ruling on this.

My opponent (twice) in the round, missed a putt that ended up a few inches past the hole.  He walked up and "pulled" the ball into the hole.

The hole was between the ball and his stance.  I thought there was a 2 stroke penalty for this but I can not seem to find a ruling for it..

 

 

Putting is the only place where you can tap-in a ball and "pull" the ball towards you from beyond the hole.  Essentially this rule was put in place to save time and prevent people needing to mark their ball because they are stepping on somebody's line to putt