Rules Test

[rubbery]

The players on my golf team don't have a great understanding of the rules of golf (for example, I was playing with a sophomore on the team, he hit it in the water, dropped and proceeded to ask me what he was lying) so I'm making a little quiz on some basic rules. I need a few ideas.

So far I'm doing: hitting another player's ball on the green with your putt, where to drop and the penalty for OB and lateral hazards, relief from man made objects (fences and electrical boxes).

Do you guys have any other good rules I could ask my players?

[DarkPrince]

I remember on my HS golf team, we had a former teaching pro for a coach so the first thing he did was buy and give us all USGA rule books, and a small folding chart of the most common rule infractions and told us to read it and keep it with our bag at all times :P Rules can be daunting though, make sure they know not only don't hit an opponents ball on the green, but once I had a guy in the rough hit mine and not believe me when I told him it was a penalty and he needed to add 2 strokes or be DQ'd :P Lat hazards are a must (all 3? options), possibly discuss OB, and definitely Provisional balls.

[double_j]

The most important rules to know are the ones they'll encounter the most often. I think you have the major ones covered, especially the difference between OB, red stakes, and yellow stakes and how to properly take relief and/or where to drop when necessary.

You might also put in there something about when it is OK to remove something from your lie or rules to deal with (or define) standing water, etc.

[Gioguy21]

Can you or can you not play a ball out of a lateral and/or water hazard?

[Fourputt]

The players on my golf team don't have a great understanding of the rules of golf (for example, I was playing with a sophomore on the team, he hit it in the water, dropped and proceeded to ask me what he was lying) so I'm making a little quiz on some basic rules. I need a few ideas.

When to drop and redrop, when to place and replace, playing from a wrong place (all aspects of rule 20), playing a wrong ball (rule 15-3), procedure for ball unplayable (Rule 28). For some good questions, see

USGA Rules Quizzes

[double_j]

Based on my experience playing with some high school golfers in this area, you may also want to use the following question:

1.) When is it OK to hit a flop shot?

a.) never
b.) never
c.) never
d.) you hail from Southern California, are left-handed, have a negative handicap index, and are a regular on the tour

[DarkPrince]

I just remembered that my old coach actually corrected me on an improper drop 2 weeks ago when I played with him. Ball was on the cartpath, took a drop, but part of my heels were still on the cartpath which is apparently an improper drop because you have to be completely free of the impedement..I just didn't really care enough to take 2 club lengths lol, but it would have apparently cost me a stroke if I had been keeping score :P

[Fairway_CY]

...make sure they know not only don't hit an opponents ball on the green, but once I had a guy in the rough hit mine and not believe me when I told him it was a penalty and he needed to add 2 strokes or be DQ'd...

Wait... what? The way I'm reading that... you're saying if someone in the rough hits a ball on to the green and hits your ball WITH their ball... it's a penalty. I'm gonna assume the way it's written just makes it sound that way and what you REALLY meant was that if he struck your ball FROM the rough as if it were his ball it would be a penalty. Otherwise...

CY

[DarkPrince]

In the situation I'm speaking of, one of the other guys and I went left off the tee in roughly the same area. He looked down at the ball (we might've been playing the same brand but different numbers or type), misidentified it as his, and hit the ball. I found another ball further left in the rough which was his since mine was again either a different brand or number/type, he didn't believe me that it was a 2 stroke penalty for hitting the wrong ball. But other than that, it's a 1 stroke penalty if you putt and hit an opponents ball that is also on the green(even if its his fault for not marking, I guess its your responsibility to ask them to mark it). I guess the #1 rule I generally ignore is I putt with the flag stick in since I play by myself a lot, so theoretically I should add a stroke penalty for almost every hole lol (I'm searching for this on the USGA site but it must be hidden in some sub-rule or something?).

But yeah I didn't mean to word it horribly, I believe in that situation (hitting your ball onto a green and striking a ball) you replace the opponents ball as closely to its original position as you can, and you play your ball from wherever it ended up.

[Fairway_CY]

Yup yup... you got it right. Just the way I was reading it... sounded wrong in my head, but after I began posting... it clicked with me what I thought you were actually saying.

If the ball hits another on the green... you replace that ball and play your ball where it lies... unless, as you said, your shot was played from on the green as well, in which case... you must add a stroke to your score.

CY

[killerduck]

Based on my experience playing with some high school golfers in this area, you may also want to use the following question:

Try telling that to my younger brother, who is left handed, but not the other two parts of d.) LOL

[Fourputt]

I just remembered that my old coach actually corrected me on an improper drop 2 weeks ago when I played with him. Ball was on the cartpath, took a drop, but part of my heels were still on the cartpath which is apparently an improper drop because you have to be completely free of the impedement..I just didn't really care enough to take 2 club lengths lol, but it would have

Actually 2 strokes... but who's counting. And there is no 2 clublength measurement involved in taking relief from an obstruction. Study Rule 24 a bit more...

[DarkPrince]

Actually 2 strokes... but who's counting. And there is no 2 clublength measurement involved in taking relief from an obstruction. Study Rule 24 a bit more...

I actually found it a little while later, somewhere under Rule 17. And the club length part was an innocent typo :P but as important as knowing the rules are...I'm starting to wonder if its even just as important to understand how to look through the rule book and actually find something :P

[Fourputt]

I actually found it a little while later, somewhere under Rule 17. And the club length part was an innocent typo :P but as important as knowing the rules are...I'm starting to wonder if its even just as important to understand how to look through the rule book and actually find something :P

That's why the first page after the title page instructs you on how to use the book. It's also why the the section on the definitions is placed in the book before the rules themselves. You have to understand the terminology in order to know what the rules are trying to say.

[DarkPrince]

Probably why I should've grabbed my actual rule book that came a week or so ago with my USGA stuff instead of trying to browse the webpage :P

and to:

Based on my experience playing with some high school golfers in this area, you may also want to use the following question:

Very true, couldn't believe how many times I was stupid enough to try it and usually skulled it or left it well short :P

[Ignorant]

But other than that, it's a 1 stroke penalty if you putt and hit an opponents ball that is also on the green(even if its his fault for not marking, I guess its your responsibility to ask them to mark it).

That is not correct. In match play no penalty and in stroke play penalty of 2 strokes:

19-5. By Another Ball a.At Rest If a player’s ball in motion after a stroke is deflected or stopped by a ball in play and at rest, the player must play his ball as it lies. In match play, there is no penalty. In stroke play, there is no penalty, unless both balls lay on the putting green prior to the stroke, in which case the player incurs a penalty of two strokes. Maybe You should do the rules test as well ...

[killerduck]

Very true, couldn't believe how many times I was stupid enough to try it and usually skulled it or left it well short :P

After playing on a course with little or no fairway grass for past 4 years, you tend to get pretty good at punching a hybrid club from anywhere between 20-90 metres out.

That's one shot I'd recommend every player to practice (whilst on course) every now and then, for when you do get a bad/unlucky lie.