Linda,
My home course is not well maintained. The maintenance crew
tends to mow the tee boxes and basically just toss the tee markers back on the
tee box.
During a recent club round a couple of players were questioning
the position of the tee markers on a particular hole – they were so far in the
back of the tee box that if you wanted to tee off 2 club-lengths behind the
markers you would be off the tee box. They insisted it was a "rules
violation." Not sure how to penalize the course!
I know it might seem odd, but I would like to get the
verbiage correct when explaining the answer to them. These players like to
"stir the pot," if you know what I mean, and love the attention. I
agree the markers were too far back. We have since taken the issue to the
course manager.
The information I found in the handicapping manual of the
USGA under "course setup" is...
Section 15-2: The
"teeing ground" is defined in "The Rules of Golf" as a
rectangular area two club-lengths in depth, the front and the sides of which
are defined by the outside limits of two tee markers. The tee markers must
always be at least two club-lengths forward of the back edge of the teeing
ground.
Would this be classified as a "rule" or "a
requirement for course setup?"
Thanks,
Lulu from Hemet, California
Dear Lulu,
The tee markers are deemed to be “fixed” at the time the
player hits her first stroke from the teeing ground [Rule 11-2]. Players may
not move them simply because they feel they are too close, too far back, aimed
in the wrong direction, or some similar reason. The penalty for moving the tee
markers for any of these “I-don’t-like-where-they-are-placed” reasons is disqualification,
unless the markers are replaced before any player in the group plays from the
teeing ground, in which case the penalty would be reduced to two strokes (loss
of hole in match play) [Decision 11-2/2]. A fair competition requires that
everyone begin the hole from the same place, even if that place is improperly
designated.
You have taken the right first step to correcting the
situation by informing the course manager. Perhaps if he understands that the
course patrons take the game seriously, he will encourage the maintenance
workers to replace the tee markers properly. How much trouble could it be to
place tee markers at least two club-lengths from the back of the tee box? Visitors
who are displeased by the failure to follow a basic requirement of tee
placement might be disinclined to return to the course.
Linda
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