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Rules
by Gus Montano, AJGA
director of education
Welcome
to Rules 101! This page will give you a chance to test your
Rules knowledge and bone-up on the need-to-know Rules of Golf.
Rule 1: The Game
The game of golf is all about etiquette,
you see it time and time again. We take our hats off to shake
hands at the end of each round. We make sure not to walk in
players' lines of putts when we are on the green. We even
have "honor" on the teeing ground. However, there
is at least one instance where this can come back to haunt
you.
Today, let's deal with decision concerning exerting influence
on a ball: Decision 1-2/3: Flagstick lying on putting
green removed by a player to prevent another player's ball
from striking it
Q:
Sometimes I think I have the worst luck on the golf course.
Last week, I was playing golf with my original intern teammate
back in the 90s, Jason Etzen. He took out the flagstick and
set it on the green behing the hole not thinking of where
his putt was coming from. Honestly, I think he was just excited
to have a birdie putt.
He
hit his putt and it took off heading well past the hole. Because
we go way back, I decided to be a nice guy and pick up the
flag stick before it interferred with his putt.
What
is the Ruling?
A: Even though I was doing what I thought to be a nice thing,
I incurred a two-stroke penalty for "exerting influence"
on a ball. Rule 1-2 clearly states: No player or caddie
shall take any action to influence the position or movement
of a ball..."
This should be a lesson: place the flag stick in a position
so there is no way it can come into play. Learn from me, it
will make your life a whole lot easier. In this case, it may
be the last time I do something nice for Jason in a while.
If
exerting influence on a ball is still a mystery to you, or
if you have any other Rules questions, consult your USGA Rules
book, or email Gus Montano, AJGA director of education, at
gmontano@ajga.org.
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