I. Facts

Foremost was deeply touched when playing partner, JD, noted that he had missed F’s rules blog. F explained that, due to circumstances beyond his control, it had been an unusual and infrequent golf season for F, and that he had, indeed, dropped the ball in his solemn quest and duty to uphold, defend, and explain the Rules of Golf, a failing perhaps even more significant as the very foundations of golf are being rocked by the emergence of LIV golf and the betrayal of many of the game’s great players. Certainly, an attack on the Rules of Golf can’t be far away! For instance, might LIV Golf allow players to drop a ball out of a fairway divot? Or carry 15 clubs? Who can say? F will remain vigilant on these issues.

Anyway, JD told F it was time he got off his ass and back into the saddle. F contemplated these inspiring words as the day wore on, and to his surprise JD, himself, presented an occasion for a F review.

In the Men’s competition at HCC, a long search had commenced for JD’s drive on the 17th hole, the last hole of the day for this team in the competition. JD claimed he had struck his drive down the center of the fairway and accordingly players were searching the roughs short, left, and right of the fairway to no avail.

(During this quest Reader RMo asked F if he had followed the Sergio Garcia rules dispute as to the time the 3-minute search begins to toll. In the Sergio case, an official had initiated the search clock without allowing Sergio to cross a creek to the area where he thought his ball had disappeared. The official was wrong in this case and later apologized, although some feel this incident may have led to Sergio’s hasty departure to the LIV. RMo mentioned this case noting that a similar incident and dispute had arisen in the Club Championship finals at his home course, as a player had insisted his search had lasted two minutes, while the opponent had claimed the search had lasted ten minutes. (He noted the Committee had resolved this factual dispute in favor of the player who happened to be on the Board).)

Anyway, back to the facts at hand, and as this conversation had continued for several minutes in its own right, it occurred to F that JD probably needed to declare his ball lost. Although JD had walked the rough short and right of the fairway, and had walked the shallow creek line to the right of the fairway at least a couple of times, he hadn’t found his ball and was preparing to take drop relief. F then walked the creek and spied JD’s ball in the creek under a rock.

JD confirmed that the ball was his and quickly dropped it well on the fairway side of the cart path away from the creek, although there was ample room for a two club-length drop on the down-hill slope next to the creek where the red line was painted. “I’m not going back down there, and I don’t care what the Rule is”, he stated as he smashed his dropped ball up the fairway.

“Well”, said F, “then you might as well add another stroke for failing to drop from knee-height”, as JD had cavalierly tossed his ball from chest height, the wrong procedure for a drop, compounding his error in dropping from an inappropriate relief area. F politely didn’t raise the timing issue, and while a player is certainly entitled to lateral relief for a ball he thinks is in a PA and ultimately finds in the PA, his argument for entitlement to such relief might be questioned if he, also, searched for it on the other side of the fairway, and took a half hour in his search.

F contemplated JD’s welcome, albeit belligerent, rules stance and possible team consequences as he proceeded up the fairway, which certainly led to two chili-dips in his own right from just short of the green. F’s and his team’s doubts and misgivings about the last hole scoring were soon allayed, however, as a couple of groups passed by relaying that they had trounced the F team in the scoring anyway.

Darn, it is great to be back in the saddle, and F owes many thanks to JD for his kind inspiration and timely rules violations! But who can blame him for being a little upset? He had hit his dang drive right down the middle!

Rules summary:

R18.2a- a ball is “lost” when not found within 3 minutes of beginning a search

R171c – may take relief from a penalty area when it is “known or virtually certain” that the ball is in the PA

KVC(Def) – more than just possible …at least 95% likely

Relief Area (for Lateral Relief penalty option, R17.1d(3))- two club lengths

R14.3b(2) – ball must be dropped straight down from knee-height

II. Facts

Reader BF faced a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole of a tense four-ball competition somewhere in the mountains. Opponent, Reader HC, was watching the action intently and was juggling his ball in his hand as he awaited his own 6-foot putt for birdie to tie or possibly win the hole.

BF stroked his putt, which he later declared was heading straight into the heart of the hole. (Readers might recognize this claim). Unfortunately, HC’s ball slipped out of his hand and bounced off his knee, ricocheting directly into BF’s ball only two feet from the hole stopping the ball in its progression.

The players held an earnest discussion and decided that in fairness, and as this incident was entirely accidental, BF should be permitted another attempt at his putt. BF didn’t particularly like or agree with this decision, but he attempted another putt from the same spot. He missed. HC made his putt for the win.

Days later, BF declared he had lost sleep, as well as an enormous purse, over this incident and asked F to review.

Issues

(1) Was opponent HC subject to a penalty for deflecting BF’s ball?

(2) Was It correct to allow BF the do-over putt?

(3) If not, should BF have been penalized for playing from a wrong place?

Ruling

As a general rule, when a ball in motion is “accidentally” deflected, the player must accept the results, whether good or bad, and play the ball “as it lies” after the deflection. This rule applies even if the opponent was the cause of the deflection. (R11.1a). No penalties apply to any player.

An exception to the Rule and playing the ball “as it lies” exists when the ball was played from the putting green, in which case the stroke does not count and the ball “must” be played from its original spot. (R11.1b, Exception 2). Accordingly, the players reached the correct decision in this case … a harsh result for BF, who is left to wonder if his first putt would have gone in (and of more concern, whether Vanderbilt will beat Hawaii).

As usual, all comments and corrections are welcome!

Respectfully submitted,

F