You can’t jump on a ride-on mower and take out the fescue on the right side of the second hole in an effort to find your ball. But if you happen to accidentally rip some grass out as you reach down into the rough and scratch around for your ball, there is no penalty according to Rule 7.1.
The R&A and USGA have confirmed their intention to wind back the distance golf balls can travel. What does it mean for you and your favourite players on tour? Here’s our Dummies Guide To The Rollback.
Now, according to Rule 11.1, there is no penalty if you accidentally hit yourself with your shot. Furthermore, there is no penalty if you hit your equipment, your caddie, your opponent, your opponent’s equipment, etc. In most cases, you just play the ball as it now lies.
Although you probably still refer to it as a water hazard, it’s important to know that the official name change to “penalty area” in 2019 should give you a clue that the options for your next stroke have changed a bit.
The rules are very clear when it comes to instances when the actions of another person breach a rule for you. It doesn’t matter who the person is, the key is whether you are aware of the rules violation before continuing play.
All of this is covered in Rule 8.1 and comes with the general penalty for a violation (loss of hole in match play or a two-shot penalty in strokeplay).
Ready for a challenge? Test your knowledge of the Rules of Golf by “playing” this par 5, where just about every unusual rules situation you can think of happens along the way. See if you can get to the next tee by knowing what to do in each scenario.
Australian Golf Digest
