Rule, repair on damaged cup?

[WUTiger]

What is the rule when a shot damages the cup during play?

I played in a golf scramble Tuesday, and my team won with 11-under.

What sealed the win was an eagle - which we probably didn't deserve - on the tight, 320 yd. par 4 No. 16. Only person not OB off tee hit a dribbler 5-iron about 140 yds. into the fairway. We had a headwind, and one of our guys hits a hybrid into the cup for an eagle!

The ball hit about an inch in front of the cup, and chuncked the lip as it went in. The ball had green turf on it when we pulled it out of the cup.

So, you have a cup with a bumpy edge. We smoothed as best we could. But, what happens if the cup catches a skimmer, rather than a straight in, and really gets torn up?

[zeg]

Since you'd already finished the hole, there's nothing preventing you from doing your best to fix it up. If your group is still playing, then I'd say they're entitled to repair it since it's known to be a ball mark. The following decision sheds a bit of light:

  None said:

16-1a/6 Damaged Hole; Procedure for Player Q. Prior to putting, a player discovers that the hole has been damaged. What is the proper procedure? A. If the damage is not clearly identifiable as a ball mark, then: (a) If the damage is such that the proper dimensions of the hole have not been changed materially, the player should continue play without repairing the hole. If he touches the hole in such circumstances, a breach of Rule 16-1a occurs. (b) If the proper dimensions of the hole have been changed materially, the player should request the Committee to have the hole repaired. If a Committee member is not readily available, the player may repair the damage, without penalty. If a player repairs a materially damaged hole when a Committee member is readily available, he incurs a penalty for a breach of Rule 16-1a.

So I'd say if there's any question, notify the Committee if possible. If not, decide whether it's really a problem. If not, I'd be conservative and not touch it until my entire group had holed out, and then fix it if it can be done without risk to making things worse. In any case let the grounds crew know about the problem ASAP.

[Fourputt]

  WUTiger said:

What is the rule when a shot damages the cup during play?

The committee should be notified as soon as possible. It's the committee's responsibility to examine the damage and either repair the hole or have it moved to the nearest similar location if the damage is too severe to be repaired.