Random Golf Thoughts

Query on rules with balls on the green.

If player A chips it on and its within 2 feet, and player B then chips and hits the ball on the green and gains an advantage (say using it as a backstop of sorts), is there any penalty?

I know you can't ask for someone to not mark their ball, but I can't see anything in the rules saying you have to mark it, just that "you may"

You're supposed to mark if you think the position of your ball is potentially giving an unfair advantage to another player.

It's probably the least obeyed rule in golf tbf

I'd always ask if someone wants me to mark it, there's nothing wrong with giving your playing partners the option of benefiting from having something to aim at or backstop.

My understanding is that in matchplay is different to strokeplay, if I want your ball to remain unmarked then I get to choose that, you "own your opponents ball" on the green, and he cannot choose to mark if you want it to remain.

On the first point, I don't see anything approaching wrong. I'm chipping into the green, another in the three ball is waiting ahead greenside and offers to mark his ball. I am perfectly entitled to accept or reject his offer. There's no agreement here, it happens all the time. It could be that I benefit from the ball onnthe green, or it gets in my way. I'm not obliged to accept the offer if it might act as a backstop. I certainly can't ask him to leave it there.

Re the matchplay scenario, my Dad always said that you own your opponents ball on the green, but I don't know the detail. He played senior cup golf and was pretty good on the rules.

https://www.randa.org/en/rog/the-rules-of-golf/rule-15
section 15.3a

https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/rules/rules-of-golf-clarification-backstopping/

Yeah, they could play dumb, and pretend not to have noticed that you'll benefit from it.

There was a big issue with it a couple of years ago on LPGA if I remember correctly

there is no way you can make a player not mark their ball in matchplay. Your old man has to be wrong on that one

Was there something on the PGA Tour last year where someone played their chip before their playing partner had time to mark it?

Yes, that looks to be the case. You need to protect the field by ensuring your playing partner doesn't have an advantage that others won't have.

The rule states "the player may", not "the player must" so it remains a grey area once there is no agreement made to leave it unmarked.

15.3a

Ball on Putting Green Helping Play

Rule 15.3a applies only to a ball at rest on the putting green, not anywhere else on the course.If a player reasonably believes that a ball on the putting green might help anyone’s play (such as by serving as a possible backstop near the hole), the player may:

Mark the spot of the ball and lift it under Rule 13.1b if it is their own ball, or if the ball belongs to another player, require the other player to mark the spot and lift the ball (see Rule 14.1).

The lifted ball must be replaced on its original spot (see Rule 14.2).

In stroke play only:

A player who is required to lift a ball may play first instead, and

If two or more players agree to leave a ball in place to help any player, and that player then makes a stroke with the helping ball left in place, each player who made the agreement gets the general penalty (two penalty strokes).

And again, in the best practice guidance, the refence is "should" not "must"

As a result, the following guidance and explanation of best practice is available for Committees to provide to players to help prevent backstopping:

In stroke play, the competition involves all players and, because each player in the competition cannot be present to protect their own interests, protecting the field is an important responsibility that all players in the competition share.

Therefore, in stroke play, if there is a reasonable possibility that a player’s ball close to the hole could help another player who is about to play from off the green, both players should ensure that the player whose ball is close to the hole marks and lifts that ball before the other player plays.

If all players follow this best practice, it ensures the protection of the interests of everyone in the competition.

My guess is that from a pace of play perspective they don't want to harden up the rule to "must", as it conceivably brings up the situation where someone will complain about shots from 100m+ hitting another ball on the green.

Difficult rule in fairness, as the same rules would need to apply from 150 yards out to 10 yards.

i.e. you are not going to ask your playing partner to mark the ball after hitting the green with a 7 iron.

Cant have two different rules for different distances from the hole ( when not on the green)

"If it's potentially going to help him, I'll think of the rest of her field and not mark it"

This makes no sense? That's the opposite of protecting the field

Yes. You are then out of the hole.

You can also concede a competitors shot at any point.

For example, if they're out of a hole, but their putt could give a read to their team mate who is still in the hole