What's the ruling

3qsmavrod5twfe

Here's one for you rules gurus

It's a breezy day and the fairway doglegs to the left. The drive crosses the fairway and comes to rest on an slope. The player takes a stance about 2 feet back from the ball and takes a practise swing. The ball has not been addressed at this stage. When the practise swing has been completed from this position the ball moves. The player swears that there was absolutely no interference with the ball and as he is an honest enough chap who does call penalties on himself his word is taken. The ball is not replaced and played from where it rolls to.

This happened last weekend, and in the absence of any PGA certfied referees there was a committee ruling given in the clubhouse that the shot shold stand without penalty as the ball was most probably moved by a combination of the breeze and the slope and an exact ruling for this circumstance could not be found.

Any thoughts on what rule applies?

Anatom

I don't have my rule book beside me here, but the Committee's ruling seems sensible enough (I know, I know, wow!).

If he was very obviously taking a practice swing, hadn't addressed the ball and hadn't made contact with it either, then there should be no penalty in my opinion.

At least he was honest enough to call it on himself in the first place. Too many lads wouldn't bother...

PhilipMarlowe

The player didn't cause the ball to move... wind and slope account for that.
Because it moved 'naturally' then he was correct to play it as it lay in the new position without penalty.

Garda S Horgan

Licksy wrote: »

The player didn't cause the ball to move... wind and slope account for that.
Because it moved 'naturally' then he was correct to play it as it lay in the new position without penalty.

This is why you see professional golfers (and others) take practice swings well away from the ball if it's sitting in rough or on a slope.
I'm not convinced that the player did not have an impact on the ball.
If not, then it was a massive coincidence.

Put it this way, if someone was on a slope and I'm playing the Barton on the 18th and the guy is lashing away at practice swings a foot below the ball and it then moves and rolls off a slope and onto a flat part, then I would be a bit miffed.

Yours etc,
GSH.

PhilipMarlowe

You can be miffed all you like!
You would have a fair job arguing that taking a practice swing a couple of feet behind the ball on the fairway jarred the ground enough to cause a ball to move... it was nothing to do with the wind and the slope your honour!
Especially since a player could have taken his stance and, had the ball then moved, he still might not have been responsible for its movement (as long as he hadn't grounded his club).
I agree that on a slope on the fairway (or green) the prudent thing to do is to make any practice swing(s) well away from the ball but that's more to avoid aspersions being cast upon you by opponents out for Barton Cup glory...

Yours in the war on prejudicial attitudes etc.

Garda S Horgan

Licksy wrote: »

You can be miffed all you like!
You would have a fair job arguing that taking a practice swing a couple of feet behind the ball on the fairway jarred the ground enough to cause a ball to move... it was nothing to do with the wind and the slope your honour!
Especially since a player could have taken his stance and, had the ball then moved, he still might not have been responsible for its movement (as long as he hadn't grounded his club).
I agree that on a slope on the fairway (or green) the prudent thing to do is to make any practice swing(s) well away from the ball but that's more to avoid aspersions being cast upon you by opponents out for Barton Cup glory...

Yours in the war on prejudicial attitudes etc.

Exactly as you said. I would be miffed all I like and the other guy might be taking 10 practice swings a foot from the ball and then it rolls and he can say that it was nothing to do with him, but there will always be the doubt, and in my many years on the course, if there is doubt then there is guilt. Like it or not.
As you said, to avoid any aspersions being cast, the golfer should recognise if the ball is not stable and should practice a nice bit away from it.
I'm a distrusting jerk at the best of times.

Yours etc,
GSH.

Mister Sifter

Garda S Horgan wrote: »

Garda S Horgan.

+

Garda S Horgan wrote: »

I'm a distrusting jerk at the best of times.

Surely not.

Garda S Horgan

Mister Sifter wrote: »

+

Surely not.

8)

Yours in misery,
GSH.