Hi Linda,
My partner and I were playing in a Minnesota Women's Public
Golf Association tournament today and a rule check came up that no one could
definitively answer. The format was 2 person teams with 6 holes of
scramble, 6 holes of best ball and 6 holes of alternate shot. During the
alternate shot portion the team we were playing with (and I was scoring for)
shared a putter on one of the greens because the other player forgot her putter
and did not want to walk back to the cart to get it. The rules official
looked up the rule which stated it was ok to share clubs with your partner as
long as it does not exceed 14 clubs. The officials could not agree if
that meant 14 clubs between the two of them or 14 clubs just for the person
using the other player's club, meaning that if they had less than 14 clubs in
their bag, it would be ok for them to borrow their partner's club for a shot.
Can you clarify this rule for me so I know for future reference please?
Thank you so much,
Lulu
Dear Lulu,
Partners may share clubs only if the total number of clubs
carried by the two players is 14 [Rule 4-4b]. In other words, if you carry 6
clubs and your partner carries 8, you may share clubs, since your team would be
carrying 14 clubs (8+6=14).
If you carry 12 clubs, your partner carries 13, and you
borrow her putter, the penalty is two strokes, maximum 4 strokes per round. In
match play, the state of the match would be adjusted by deducting one hole, maximum
two holes per round [Rule 4-4b, Penalty; Decision 4-4b/1].
Since players rarely carry so few clubs, it is best that you
not consider borrowing your partner’s club in tournament play. Take the trek
back to your bag or pay the price.
Linda
Copyright © 2012 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
