Rules Questions: What to do if you realised you unintentionally broke a rule.......

newport2

....ages ago

Just thought of this from reading the thread on the ball moving due to wind thread. I only found out a while ago about this rule, I had thought you replaced your ball without penalty.

Anyway, let's say you read that thread today and realised that in a competition you won weeks ago that you hadn't played from where the ball had rolled to and had putted after returning it to it's original position. Competition closed, prizes awarded, etc. What do you do now? Is there a cut-off point or do you go back and disqualify yourself from something that finished ages ago? The Captain's Prize last year?

(And no, I didn't do this, just curious. If I had done it myself, I would have started it with "A guy I know asked me...." :cool:)

John Divney

newport2 wrote: »

....ages ago

Just thought of this from reading the thread on the ball moving due to wind thread. I only found out a while ago about this rule, I had thought you replaced your ball without penalty.

Anyway, let's say you read that thread today and realised that in a competition you won weeks ago that you hadn't played from where the ball had rolled to and had putted after returning it to it's original position. Competition closed, prizes awarded, etc. What do you do now? Is there a cut-off point or do you go back and disqualify yourself from something that finished ages ago? The Captain's Prize last year?

(And no, I didn't do this, just curious. If I had done it myself, I would have started it with "A guy I know asked me...." :cool:)

You do nothing, once the competition is closed that's that regarding unintentional rule breaks.

Learn the rules as penance :-)

newport2

John Divney wrote: »

You do nothing, once the competition is closed that's that regarding unintentional rule breaks.

Learn the rules as penance :-)

Thanks.

This incident resulted in disqualification a week after the comp was closed, not sure if it's different circumstances though

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2165814-cameron-tringale-confesses-to-pga-championship-error-loses-more-than-50k

John Divney

newport2 wrote: »

Thanks.

This incident resulted in disqualification a week after the comp was closed, not sure if it's different circumstances though

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2165814-cameron-tringale-confesses-to-pga-championship-error-loses-more-than-50k

I should have said unknowingly. Difference is Tribgale and the recent lad who did the same thing, thought he touched sand but wasn't sure, they signed an incorrect scorecard and guilt caught them up.

Slicemeister

If it was in the timeframe I'd DQ myself. can a winner be dqed outside of this timeframe? reason I ask is a 4 man team were DQed days after prize giving due to an incorrect handicap recently.

SaveOurLyric

The four person team comp doesnt exist as far as the rules of golf are concerned. So up to those running the competition to make any decision they want.

John Divney

Thing is if someone win a medal by unknowingly breaking a rule, there are three other players there.

We all will miss things but really it would be a real shambles when everyone does.

I think part if the reason this rule exists is based on expectations of players knowing the rules and lapse of knowledge being something that blindsided everyone, so it would be unfair or not worth the spectacle and hassle to redo the prizes or whatever

Golfnut77

Slicemeister wrote: »

If it was in the timeframe I'd DQ myself. can a winner be dqed outside of this timeframe? reason I ask is a 4 man team were DQed days after prize giving due to an incorrect handicap recently.

I would do the same, or at the very least inform the competition secretary and give back the prize, happened me twice when I first took up the game so that's when I decided to know the rules myself instead of relying on playing partners' knowledge.