Playing by the Rules

[Mkgrady]

I have always played casual rounds with players that don’t follow the rules. They will often move their ball, take gimmes, mulligans etc. with knowledge that these are violations but nobody in the group cares. Lately I have been trying to learn the rules and am amazed at how complicated they are. Starting tomorrow I will be playing in a men’s league and I assume they follow the rules. Can any of you give some examples of the most common rule violations you see from rookies that transition into playing by the rules? I think I know the very basic rules. I guess I’m asking what are the common rule violations that most casual players do not know are violations. 

[Darkfrog]

Not a rules expert, but the most common rules mistake I see is people having a lost ball/OB without taking stroke and distance penalty.

[mohearn]

With your caveat that "most casual players do not know are violations" one I see is not putting with the ball that you used to reach the green. i.e. if you lift and mark your ball on the green, and put it in your pocket with another ball, then you need to use the same ball.

Edited May 25, 2022 by mohearn
then/than

[mcanadiens]

1 hour ago, Mkgrady said:

Starting tomorrow I will be playing in a men’s league and I assume they follow the rules.

I wouldn't assume that.

Ultimately, it is up to the members of the league to enforce rules and most people aren't interested in confrontations when they are trying to enjoy themselves.  Blatant stroke shaving is often what it takes for there to be real problems for a lot of groups. 

 

[ChetlovesMer]

2 hours ago, Darkfrog said:

Not a rules expert, but the most common rules mistake I see is people having a lost ball/OB without taking stroke and distance penalty.

I agree. I think this is the most common one I see. 
I play in a league and I see lots of guys who play Out of Bounds as a lateral hazard. It is not. OB is stroke PLUS distance. Not take a stroke and drop where it went out. 

I see it all the time and I'm always shocked that I have to explain that. 

On a tangential note, I think far too few folks know to hit a provisional ball. If you think your ball might be OB, hit a provisional ball. 

[Mkgrady]

4 hours ago, mcanadiens said:

I wouldn't assume that.

Ultimately, it is up to the members of the league to enforce rules and most people aren't interested in confrontations when they are trying to enjoy themselves.  Blatant stroke shaving is often what it takes for there to be real problems for a lot of groups. 

 

Yikes!  That is not one rule I would expect people to ignore or cheat. The need to count  all the strokes seems so obvious. We are playing for money so that would seem like stealing. It’s not a lot of money but everybody wants to win. 

[mcanadiens]

14 hours ago, Mkgrady said:

Yikes!  That is not one rule I would expect people to ignore or cheat. The need to count  all the strokes seems so obvious. We are playing for money so that would seem like stealing. It’s not a lot of money but everybody wants to win. 

Again. My point is that literally shaving strokes would be a breaking point.

Stuff like switching balls or taking dodgy drops or improving lies is likely to be ignored by a lot of groups, including leagues with money prizes. In other words, there are a lot of rules violations short of shaving strokes that a lot of people won't make a big fuss over.

Edited May 26, 2022 by mcanadiens

[Rulesman]

Players taking relief on the wrong side of a cart path.

[saevel25]

12 minutes ago, Rulesman said:

Players taking relief on the wrong side of a cart path.

This is a good one. Nearest point of relief in general. I think most people just take drops closer to the fairway side of the cart path. 

[iacas]

24 minutes ago, Rulesman said:

Players taking relief on the wrong side of a cart path.

And players not taking complete relief. I see this in college events somewhat frequently.

[klineka]

32 minutes ago, iacas said:

And players not taking complete relief. I see this in college events somewhat frequently.

Yup this. I'll admit I didn't know how to do it properly until Erik showed/explained it to me at one of the TST Outings. 

Another rule violation that not too many beginners know about is asking for advice. You aren't allowed to ask a fellow competitor what club they just used/are using.

[Friz]

I feel like I'm getting back to basics on this one, but I'm always surprised how frequently I see people grounding their club in a bunker before their swing.  I really only play casual rounds, so I don't say anything and I'm not sure if this is actually not well known, or if there are just a bunch of people who choose to ignore it, but I'm frequently paired with people that don't follow this rule

[iacas]

27 minutes ago, klineka said:

You aren't allowed to ask a fellow competitor what club they just used/are using.

That's not entirely true.

At the U.S. Senior Open qualifier, Joey Sindelar asked Dave what club he hit off the tee on a par three right after Dave hit and they were walking off the tee.

Completely legal.

[Big Lex]

A common rules violation I see among beginners and people who are just extremely casual at the game is grounding their club in bunkers and penalty areas. The rules regarding where you can drop the ball in various situations, and if/when these drops involve penalty strokes, are the things that come up often and I think are messed up quite a bit. Treating OB the same as hitting into a penalty area is another common one. 

Another one I've seen more than a few times - I actually am not 100% sure this is a violation, but I think it is - is people who mark their ball by putting the marker actually on the spot where the ball was resting, literally underneath the ball. It looks really odd to me when someone does this, and I think the rules say you're supposed to mark behind or adjacent to the ball. 

Calling someone for THIS rules violation would probably not go over very well.....)

 

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, Big Lex said:

A common rules violation I see among beginners and people who are just extremely casual at the game is grounding their club in bunkers and penalty areas.

The bold is not a penalty.

[Big Lex]

7 minutes ago, iacas said:

The bold is not a penalty.

You can ground your club in the grass bordering a pond, inside the red or yellow line? 

[iacas]

1 minute ago, Big Lex said:

You can ground your club in the grass bordering a pond, inside the red or yellow line? 

Yes. You can take practice swings, move loose impediments, etc.

Been so since 2019.

[Big Lex]

1 minute ago, Big Lex said:

You can ground your club in the grass bordering a pond, inside the red or yellow line? 

Huh. You can. Just looked it up. I was unaware of this change. I've really been playing far too little golf the last few years.