[Photo: AscentXmedia]
At any time of year across the country, there may be many different formats of golf being played, including some you’re not used to. Aside from events where you’re only using a few golf clubs (where the 25 Rules of Golf still apply), three of the more common formats that come into play are foursomes (alternate shot), ambrose (scramble) and the Pinehurst Foursomes format.
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It’s important to know that foursomes is covered in the Rules of Golf, and we’ll get to some of the important rules to know (including the one in the headline) in a moment. However, you won’t find Pinehurst Foursomes or ambroses in the book. We’re guessing you know what an ambrose is – each player plays from the teeing area on each hole, one of the tee shots is selected and then all the players play their second shots from that spot. One of the second shots is then selected, and all the players play their third shots from that spot. This process keeps going until the ball is holed.
If you’re not familiar with Pinehurst Foursomes, this is how it’s played:
A two-player team starts by both teeing off. The partners then switch with Player A playing Player B’s ball and vice versa. After the second shots, they then select which ball they will continue to play, and that ball is then played in alternate-shot style until holed. A lot of golfers think it’s a fun format with standard “rules”, but just know that it’s up to the committee to decide how to handle rules situations. They certainly could apply the Rules of Golf, but there might be reasons to make alterations for pace-of-play considerations or even just to spice things up.
Foursomes, on the other hand, has its own rule (Rule 22) and follows Rules 1-20 in applications of how to proceed. In case you didn’t know, in foursomes partners are required to alternate who tees off from hole to hole (regardless of who holed out on the previous hole). It also can be matchplay or strokeplay.
OK, let’s get to the question in the headline (apologies for the delay). The order of play during a hole is super-important to follow if you want to avoid the general penalty (two strokes or loss of hole in matchplay). For example, say you hit a ball in the bush and want to play a provisional for fear the original ball might be lost. You might think it’s you who hits the provisional, but it must be your partner.
Furthermore, if you go on to find your original ball, your partner must play again. It’s an unusual instance of a player in alternate-shot play getting to strike the ball consecutively.
However, if a stroke is cancelled, replayed or otherwise does not count under any rule (except when a stroke is made in the wrong order in breach of this rule), the same partner who made the stroke must make the next stroke for the side.
Here’s another interesting dilemma: say your partner had an awkward lie and took a swipe at the ball but missed it entirely. Who should play the next shot? If you think about it logically, it’s your turn to hit. Their airswing, regardless of the outcome, counts as a stroke.
Have fun out there playing these unusual formats, but keep all of this in mind to avoid careless penalties.
