Sometimes you think you know a rule and you don’t. In this case, I’m the guilty party and I feel bad – I’ve apologized to the other team and I should have cracked open my rule book before I cracked open my mouth. As a mea culpa, I’m putting this blog entry together in hopes that I won’t repeat my mistake.
Rule Number 7 (Practice) is one the short ones in the rule book, but it’s full of nuance. I generally avoid dealing with its implications by avoiding practice altogether during a round, but there are other players who wisely take advantage of the allowances in this rule. I ended up paired up against such a player last night. He’d been tied up at work late and had to hustle out to the 17th tee box to arrive in time to tee off. As a result, he hadn’t even been able to putt on the practice green.
After play was concluded on the 17th hole, he proceeded to practice a few putts before walking over to the tee box of the 18th hole. After the 18th hole, he again putted a ball and I stated that “practicing during a round in stroke play was prohibited.” Boy was I wrong.
Practicing DURING PLAY OF A HOLE is prohibited. Things like taking a swing at a range ball in your fairway as you walk down to look for your ball would qualify as a prohibited practice (incurs a two-stroke penalty). Or, you can’t drop another ball on the green you’re playing while waiting to putt and practice a stroke (even if you’re not interfering with anyone else’s play or if you’ve already putted out).
Practicing (putting or chipping only) AFTER a hole is completed (which means that everyone has holed out) is ALLOWED (unless the committee has prohibited the practice or unless you’re unduly delaying play) near the putting green of the last hole completed, or the practice putting green, or on the tee box of the next hole to be played. I was completely wrong to step in and say he could not practice putt after the hole was concluded. We were keeping up with the group ahead of us and we weren’t delaying the group behind us. So, since the REGL local rules don’t say anything about it, feel free to practice putt or chip after a hole is completed unless you’ll impede play or slow your group down. I’ve learned a valuable lesson.
Another stipulation of Rule 7 IS explicitly addressed in a REGL local rule – REGL allows you to play on the course during the day of competition. In general, that isn’t allowed. We’re allowed to play the course in the afternoon to warm up and then play our nine-hole league competition, but only because of the league rule.
What about practice swings? Rule 7 addresses those too. A practice swing is not a stroke since you don’t intend to hit your ball (intent is a key word here). You can make as many practice swings as you like, but again, you don’t want to impede pace of play. A good rule of thumb is that one or two are fine. Any more and you’re probably holding up play. I’ve talked about one of my teammate’s propensity to execute his practice swings close to the location of his ball. If you hit your ball during a practice swing, the stroke doesn’t count, but you do incur a penalty stroke for moving your ball and you must reposition your ball back in its original location to make your next stroke.
Another nugget. IN 2019 (keeping in mind this is June of 2017) you will be able to drop a ball from any height if you’re proceeding under the rules to relocate your ball. That means (IN 2019), you could hold a ball over the grass and drop it right where you’d like. UNTIL 2019, the old methods still apply, and all drops shall be from shoulder height. Once you make a drop, the ball is in play (and unless you’re dropping in your own fairway), you play the ball as it lies. Apparently someone in league play thought the new rules regarding drops were already free to use. Nope. Old rules, old height. That person also apparently thought that once you make a drop you can move the ball to a preferred lie. Nope, and that one’s not going to be in the 2019 rule book, so don’t do it unless you’d like two more strokes added to your score.
Let me try to make things clear – aside from the local REGL rules, the rules we should be following shall be the USGA/R&A rules from the rule book published in 2016. I’d suggest acquiring a copy for yourself and cracking that book open every once in a while to brush up. If I’d done it instead of relying on my memory, I wouldn’t have had to apologize for getting a rule wrong. Come 2019, I’d suggest all of us crack open the new rule book and go over it from cover to cover – the powers that be are proposing to make at least 100 changes to the existing rules.
Getting a copy of the rule book is simple. Become a USGA member. For $15 (at the moment) the USGA will deliver you a copy of the rule book, a bag tag and an Erin Hills hat with a magnetic ball marker affixed. Father’s Day is coming up, and a membership makes a perfect gift (tell your kids!).