Golf greatest myths

Words: Mike ‘The Pro’ Kimbunja. Article from the Compleat Golfer Magazine October 2015.

Knowing the laws of the game can keep you out of trouble and even save you shots. Mike ‘The Pro’ Kibunja unpacks 10 of golf’s common misconceptions for us.

If you were to rank the topics that cause the most arguments in golf at club level, the second-highest item would be disputes about golf rules (handicapping is obviously top). What is disappointing is that the arguments about rules, penalties and disqualification are mostly the result of lack of knowledge. Quite a large number of golfers don’t bother to read or familiarise themselves with the rules of golf, and instead rely on picking titbits here and there and from watching other golfers.

These inaccuracies are spread around to other golfers and before long, what may be understood as the indisputable truth could well be the complete opposite. Just take an example of the common habit of a golfer asking another golfer what club he has used. If you tried to slap the two-stroke penalty dictated by the rules for such a rule infraction on that golfer, he would think you are out of your mind.

As long as this misconception is observed among the group, harmony reigns since the misrule is applied uniformly across the clueless. Then one day during a competition, an attempt is made to penalise a knowledgeable golfer who actually knows the rule. The arguments that ensue have sometimes held up the entire course, degenerated into unsavoury words being exchanged and before you know it, become the talking point at the clubhouse that day.

Golf is a complex game, as evidenced by the fact that although there are only 34 rules, situations arising out of them have necessitated explanations in a handbook of over 700 pages. The handbook is itself updated every two years as new incidents arise and new decisions are made (or old ones revised). It also doesn’t help that the rules of golf are always evolving and get revised every four years.

Discussed below are 10 common misconceptions that every golfer must have come across at some point or other. To play smart, you need to not only know the rules, but the misconceptions too.

Misconception

#1 You can declare a ball lost

There is a common misconception that a player may declare their ball lost, either to indicate that they intend to play out the hole with another ball that they had played provisionally, or that they are going back to the place where they made their last stroke, under penalty of stroke and distance.

Another situation where this happens is when a golfer gives up the search for a ball and starts walking away, and as he does so, is informed that his ball has been found. Then Mr Clueless announces that he had already “turned his back to the ball” and hence cannot play the original ball, even if the five minutes allowed for the search have not expired.

One wonders where they make this stuff up?

The truth:

Nothing a player says renders their ball lost. Decision 27/16 from the Rules of Golf helps to clarify this statement.

Question:

A player searched for his ball for two minutes, declared it lost and started back to play another ball at the spot from which the original ball was played. Before he put another ball into play, his original ball was found within the five minute period allowed for search. What is the ruling?

Answer:

A player cannot render a ball lost by a declaration. The original ball remained in play (as long as the allowed five minutes for searching have not expired).

Of course, a player’s ball will be deemed ‘lost’ once he has put another ball into play under a penalty of stroke and distance.

We expect the controversies on this one to get worse now that the Revised Decision 27-2a/1.5 of 2014 allows a player to go forward up to approximately 50 metres without forfeiting his or her right to go back and play a provisional ball.

Misconception

#2 You can ask a fellow competitors what club they have used

You will often hear this when a golfer sticks it close on a par three. His competitor then asks: “What club did you use?”

The truth:

You cannot ask for advice from anyone except your partner and either of your caddies.

“During a stipulated round,a player must not:

a) give advice to anyone in the competition playing on the course other than his partner, or

b) ask for advice from anyone other than his partner or either of their caddies.” The penalty is two strokes in strokeplay, or loss of hole in matchplay, for the player asking for, or giving the advice. You therefore cannot ask, “What club did you use?” or offer advice such as, “Take one more club to allow for the wind blowing against us.” But you can ask, “Is the flagstick at the back right or middle left?” or “How far is it to carry the water hazard?” as information on the rules, distance or matters of public information (such as the position of hazards or flagsticks) is not advice. One statement that many of us regularly use but probably shouldn’t if the rule on advice is strictly interpreted is, “Keep your head down!”

Misconception

#3 You must declare the make and number of the ball you are playing

You will hear this on the 1st tee, and get a bad look if you do not announce yours, or even get accused of planning to cheat.

The truth:

You do not have to declare anything.

However, you must be able to identify your ball without any doubt. Yours is not the only Titleist 3 in the world. Rule 12-2 declares that the responsibility for playing the proper ball rests with the player. Each player should put an identification mark on his ball. If per chance, two perfectly similar balls are found next to each other and you couldn’t positively identify your ball without any doubt, your ball would be declared lost. You cannot be allowed to just guess and pick one.

Misconception

#4 You get penalised one stroke if the ball moves as you are setting up to play

This applies to a situation that would occur if a ball is lying on the slope of a bunker and it moves when you place your club behind it.

The truth:

This used to be true but is no longer totally true.

According to Rule 18-2b, if a player’s ball in play moves after he has addressed it (other than as a result of a stroke), and there is no other obvious reason why the ball moved after the player had addressed it, the player is deemed to have moved it and incurs a penalty of one stroke. The ball must be replaced, unless the movement of the ball occurs after the player has begun the stroke or the backward movement of the club for the stroke and the stroke is made.

However, if you have not addressed it or caused it to move in some way, in other words, the movement is caused by another agency, wind on the green for example, you are not penalised and the ball is played as it lies.

Misconception

#5 A ball is not holed out unless it is resting at the bottom of the hole

The truth:

A ball is ‘holed’ when it is at rest within the circumference of the hole and all of it is below the level of the lip of the hole.

Be very careful if only part of the ball is below this line and the rest of it is above, as would happen if resting against the flagstick. Remove the stick carefully or push it to one side such that the ball drops completely below the surface.

Should the ball pop out during this move, it has not been holed and has to be placed at the edge of the hole, then tapped in with an extra stroke.

Misconception

#6 You can hit a moving ball

We see this when a golfer misses a short putt then, with a touch of feigned disgust, taps the ball in before it has stopped moving.

The truth:

You will incur a penalty of two strokes in strokeplay, or loss of hole in matchplay, if you play a moving ball.

Rule 14-5 states that a player must not make a stroke at his ball while it is moving except:

a) When a ball is falling off a tee on the teeing ground (Rule 11-3).

b) When a player strikes their ball more than once (for example, when playing out of a bunker or rough and the club catches up with the ball, hitting it again). There is no additional penalty for striking a moving ball but of course a penalty is incurred under Rule 14-4.

c) When a ball is moving in water in a water hazard.

Misconception

#7 A golfer and his marker must agree on any penalties imposed on the golfer

Situations have been known where golfers come to a complete standstill until an agreement is reached.

They will wave groups through as they argue or wait for a marshal.

The truth:

You do not have to agree with the marker on any penalty he informs you to have incurred. Spare yourself the acrimony that usually happens if the two of you have different opinions. The marker is defined as “one who is appointed by the committee to record a competitor’s score in strokeplay”. In most cases, he is a fellow competitor and he has to be informed on any move that you make that might affect the score. For example, when hitting a provisional ball or taking a drop.

However, should the two golfers not be in agreement, the player needs to get a ruling from a referee or the “committee and the correct score then needs to be recorded. In strokeplay you can play two balls, in matchplay you can make a claim. Ultimately it comes down to the committee determining whether a penalty applies or not. The two should record individual scores and move on. A complaint should then be lodged with the tournament organisers and the issue determined before the golfer signs his scorecard.

Misconception

#8 As long as there is no group anywhere behind you, you need not worry about your space of play

One would think this is because your group is unlikely to affect any other group. However, it could happen that the group behind you suddenly picks up speed or is slow and is ordered to skip a hole. Suddenly you would be under pressure.

The truth:

Your position on the course is immediately behind the group ahead of you, not immediately ahead of the group behind you.

Slow play is the single worst breach of golf etiquette in golf and has been pointed out as a major killer of golfing interest. Golfers must make every effort to cut down on the time they spend on the course. The player must not unduly delay either his own play or that of his opponent or any other competitor.

Misconception

#9 You must join a wager or bet in the group you are playing in

Wagering and betting has become such a permanent feature and for some golfers a prerequisite golf ritual, such that the South African Revenue Service should start charging income tax on winnings! Declarations such as 3-3-4 or ‘All units inclusive’ are automatically understood and accepted by the golfers in the group.

The truth: 

Betting and placing wagers is a personal option. You should never accept to take the pressure of a psychologically applied coercion in the name of a bet. Some golfers need the feel of competition, an adrenalin rush, in order to enjoy golf. If you are not in that school of thought, you need not join in. However, many like the idea of small wagers, as they create an element of competition, spice up some friendly trash-talking or create an air of camaraderie. The amount of the wager should generally be equal to the price of a drink. But the winner of the bet then buys the drinks at the 19th, so it all evens out and nobody feels they’ve been taken advantage of. Such minimal wins are also known to discourage sandbagging and cheating.

Misconception

#10 An amateur loses his status if he accepts a car after making a hole-in-one, since it exceeds the £500 limit

One of the shots heard round the world was when amateur Derek Lawrenson holed out in one and won a brand-new Lamborghini at Mill Ride Golf Club in 1998. Under the amateur rules of the time, he had to relinquish his amateur status to keep the car.

The truth:

An amateur can keep any prize awarded for a hole-in-one and still retain his amateur status.

The current limit of the value of amateur prizes is set at £500. With one exception: an amateur may now accept a hole-in-one prize in excess of the £500 limit, including a cash prize, for a hole-in-one made while playing a round of golf.

Michael Kibunja

Engineer Michael Kibunja, ‘Mike The Pro’ to his peers, is a dyed-in-the-wool golf traditionalist, a stickler for golf rules, and a golf analyst. He has written articles for various golf magazines and newspapers in Africa and the USA. He may be reached at pigamingi@yahoo.com