Couple rules questions...

[Incognito]

please help clarify:

1. I'm in the greenside rough and setup to play a chip shot. I take my backswing and proceed to hit into the ground 6 inches behind the ball where the club plugs in the mud and fails to move forward. Now, the ball did not move at all, nor was the lie of the ball affected in any way. Do i call a stroke?

2. I know there was a rule where asking a partner what club they're hitting off the tee was a 2-stroke penalty. Does that rule still exist?

3. I hit a ball into the next fairway off the tee. As I'm moving towards my ball, I see someone coming the other direction hit MY ball. Whats the ruling?

4. My ball falls into an unraked sandtrap. I know I can rake and replace. Do I drop or place the ball?

Thanks all!!!

[Jcp907]

please help clarify:

You intended to take a stroke. It's a stroke.

2. I know there was a rule where asking a partner what club they're hitting off the tee was a 2-stroke penalty. Does that rule still exist?

Yes, it's still a penalty. (someone else please confirm whether it's 1 or 2 strokes though)

3. I hit a ball into the next fairway off the tee. As I'm moving towards my ball, I see someone coming the other direction hit MY ball. Whats the ruling?

If you are certain it was moved, you may move it back without penalty.

4. My ball falls into an unraked sandtrap. I know I can rake and replace. Do I drop or place the ball?

You cannot modify the lie. Play it even if it's in a footprint.

[Incognito]

thanks...

but if someone can point me in the direction of the exact rulings.



some of these i need proof, and some i need to prove.

[Fourputt]

1. I'm in the greenside rough and setup to play a chip shot. I take my backswing and proceed to hit into the ground 6 inches behind the ball where the club plugs in the mud and fails to move forward. Now, the ball did not move at all, nor was the lie of the ball affected in any way. Do i call a stroke?

Yes. See the definition of "stroke" in the definitions section of the rule book.

2. I know there was a rule where asking a partner what club they're hitting off the tee was a 2-stroke penalty. Does that rule still exist?

Not a penalty if the other player is actually your partner (meaning that you and he are playing as a team). If he is your fellow competitor (stroke play) or your opponent (match play), then it is a breach of Rule 8-1. Penalty is loss of hole in match play or 2 strokes in stroke play.

3. I hit a ball into the next fairway off the tee. As I'm moving towards my ball, I see someone coming the other direction hit MY ball. Whats the ruling?

If your ball is recoverable then you drop it as close as possible to where the other player hit from. If you can't get the ball back then you may substitute another ball, drop it as close as possible to where the original ball lay and play from there.... no penalty. However, it must be known or virtually certain that it was your ball which he played. See Rule 18-1

4. My ball falls into an unraked sandtrap. I know I can rake and replace. Do I drop or place the ball?

No you can't rake and replace. You play the ball as it lies. Rule 13-4.

All rules and decisions can be found in the rules section at usga.org

[zeg]

All rules and decisions can be found in the rules section at usga.org

It's definitely worth your while to read them all (except perhaps the last few that deal with alternate forms of play if you only play ordinary match/stroke, and some of the appendices about the details of competition which are probably not applicable to you). It only takes half an hour or so, and going through once or twice will give you a good feel for how to find the rules quickly when issues arise. Also, you can probably pick up a paper copy sized to fit in your golf bag for a couple bucks at a golf shop --- it's $2 plus shipping direct from the USGA web site, but my shop had it for $3.50 which is cheaper than the shipped cost.