Hi Linda,
A couple of questions;
1. We are we're playing a course with 27 holes. We
inadvertently took a wrong turn and played 1 1/2 holes on the wrong course. Is
there a penalty for doing so?
2. Are you allowed to rub your ball on the green to clean
it?
Thank you.
Regards,
Lou from Melbourne, Australia
Dear Lou,
Question #1:
The Definition of Stipulated Round states that the holes
must be played in their correct order. The penalty in stroke play for playing
additional holes in the middle of the round is disqualification [Decision 3/2].
The same penalty would apply for playing the correct holes out of order.
In match play, there is no penalty if playing the extra
holes was unintentional. Extending this a little further, if players in a match
accidentally leave out a hole or mistakenly play a hole out of order,
there is no penalty. However, if either of these acts is on purpose, the
players are disqualified [Decisions 2-1/3, /4, and /5].
Question #2:
A player is permitted to clean his ball by rubbing it on the
putting green. However, the sole purpose must be to clean the ball, and not to
test the surface of the green. Since doing so might arouse suspicions as to
your intentions, it is best to find some other way to clean your ball [Decision
16-1d/5]. I would recommend carrying a towel onto the green.
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
