Dear Linda,
In a recent round with some friends, we had a disagreement
on scoring this scenario: A player tees off & lands in the lake shy of the
green. He tees up another ball, hits & lands on the green. This same player
now states that he will add a one-stroke penalty, so he will be hitting #3 when
we get to the green? The rest of us felt like “wait a minute,” your first hit
went into the water. Now you ADD a penalty stroke, meaning your score is
already 2. Then you tee up another ball, and hit what is now #3, so when you
get to the green you will be hitting stroke #4. Can you please help us settle
this matter based on your knowledge of the rules? Thank you in advance for your
help, and have a great day!
Best regards,
Lou from Louisville, Kentucky
Dear Lou,
Your understanding
is correct. The player’s putt will be his fourth shot on the hole.
The first stroke
from the tee is shot #1. When a player chooses to take relief from a water
hazard (regardless of which relief option he chooses), he must add a one-stroke
penalty to his score. Shot #2 is the penalty stroke for playing another ball
under stroke and distance [Rule 26-1a]. His second stroke from the tee is shot
#3. When he putts the ball that reached the green, he will be hitting shot #4
on the hole.
Linda
Copyright © 2015 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
