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| Handicap Overview
Last Updated: 02/01/19 |
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What's the difference between "handicap", "handicap index" and "course handicap"?
Note: This one is a bit difficult - I promise that later issues will be simpler, but these issues are important. The following discussion will help you understand the posted score summary sheet in your player profile and hopefully answer some common questions regarding handicap issues.
"Handicap" by itself is not defined by The USGA Handicap System manual, but is commonly used in place of the correct term, "Handicap Index". and is used as a basic descriptor of the entire system. As defined by the manual, "A Handicap Index is the USGA's service mark used to indicate a measurement of a player's potential ability on a course of standard playing difficulty. It is expressed as a number taken to one decimal place (e.g., 10.4) and is used for a conversion to a Course Handicap..." . When you look at your posted scores in your players profile, the Handicap Index appears above your posted scores.
The Handicap Index is calculated based on the adjusted gross scores you have posted, but all scores do not enter into the equation. The number of scores used to calculate this index is dependent on the number of scores that have been posted. The minimum number of posted scores required is 5. The maximum number of posted scores used is 20 (your last 20 posted scores).
The number of scores used in the index calculation varies depending on the number of scores that have been posted. For example, if only 5 or 6 scores have been posted, the lowest 1 score differential is used. For 7 or 8 posted scores, the lowest 2 score differentials are used to calculate your Handicap Index. This continues to vary up to 20 posted scores, where the 10 lowest score differentials are used.
Note that the lowest scores are not necessarily used, but the lowest score differentials are. The differential is a correction used to adjust for the difficulty of the course. Your posted score summary sheet shows the lowest differentials used in the Handicap Index calculation by an asterisk (*). For a complete breakdown of the number of differentials to use vs. the number of rounds posted, see Section 10-2 of The USGA Handicap System manual. The sum of the appropriate number of lowest differentials are added, divided by the number of differentials used to get an average, and then multiplied by an "excellence" factor of 0.96 to get your Handicap Index.
For example, an adjusted gross score of 90 on a fairly easy course, say with a course/slope rating of 70.4/113, is not nearly as good as a score of 90 on a course having a course/slope rating of 72.5/125. Course and slope ratings are indicative of the difficulty of the course, i. e. higher numbers indicate a tougher course. Both course and slope ratings for each course played are shown on your posted score summary sheet.
How is the handicap differential calculated? It is defined in the manual as "...the difference between the players adjusted gross score and the USGA course rating of the course on which the score was made, multiplied by 113, then divided by the slope rating from the tees played and rounded to the nearest tenth., e.g., 12.8." The differential is shown as "diff." for each round posted on your posted score summary sheet.
Now you have the information needed to calculate your handicap index. But why is your Course Handicap (used in tournament play) different than your Handicap Index? The definition given in the manual is rather wordy, so I'll try to simplify it. Let's just say that the Course Handicap is a way to make a further adjustment so that competitive golf is more equitable to all players. Course Handicap is calculated by multiplying your Handicap Index by the slope rating of the course and tees played and then dividing by 113, rounded to the nearest whole number. Your Course Handicap is shown on your tournament scorecard, and is specific to that course only because it is using the slope rating for the tees/course being played.
If your posted score summary sheet shows an "L" after the Handicap Index number (e.g., 40L), that is most likely because your Handicap Index exceeds the maximum allowed (36.4 for men, 40.4 for women). Officially, it's called a "local" handicap, and there are other circumstances where the "L" is also appropriate (e.g., a handicap index that is revised more frequently than allowed - twice a month- or a handicap that is based on a player's temporary disability). To figure Course Handicap for golfers with a local handicap resulting from too high of an index, USGA recommends that the 36.4 maximum (for men) Handicap Index be used instead of the index calculated as shown above.
Equitable Stroke Control (ESC) We've all had those frustrating holes where we go out of bounds (maybe more than once), had lost balls (maybe more than one), hit into the water (maybe 5 times, like me, on one hole), or just had an overall hellish time getting the ball into the hole.
When you are putting your score on the scorecard, whether in a tournament or not, you need to put in the actual number you had (it comes into play for both gross and net total score for the side bets). When the Club posts your individual hole scores after a tournament, we have the luxury of an SCGA computer system that will take that score and reduce it to what is called a maximum ESC hole score.
The ESC system is defined in the USGA Handicap System manual (Section 2, page 6) as "...the downward adjustment of individual hole scores for handicap purposes in order to make handicaps more representative of a players potential ability. ESC sets a maximum number that a player can post on any hole depending on the players Course Handicap. ESC is used only when a player's actual or most likely score exceeds the player's maximum number based on the table in Section 4.3"
I'll go into what "most likely score" is in a later newsletter (it relates to an unfinished or unplayed hole). The purpose of this adjustment is keep hole scores more in line with your potential ability - you can read "Handicap Index" into that, since they are related. If someone were intentionally playing badly on a hole to increase their Handicap Index, this system limits what can be posted for any hole (at least it will for tournament play where the Club posts your hole-by-hole scores - it won't stop the cheater from ignoring it and posting a total score without using the ESC system). Herein lies the honor system for all of us golfers.
The ESC maximum hole score per the reference table are as follows. I'll repeat, these maximum scores are based on Course Handicap, not your Handicap Index (see February's newsletter).
Course Handicap Maximum Number on any hole- 18 holes
9 or less Double Bogey
10 thru 19 7
20 thru 29 8
30 thru 39 9
40 or more 10
So, when you are playing your casual round of golf where you post your own scores, you don't necessarily post the total score that is the sum of your actual hole totals. You need to go back to those holes where you scored higher than the maximum ESC scores and deduct the extra strokes you had. Let's say you have a Course Handicap of 42, and you scored as follows for 18 holes:
5 - 7 - 11 - 6 - 8 - 12 - 3 - 6 - 5 - 14 - 4 - 6 - 9 - 7 - 6 - 4 - 13 - 7 = 133 (scorecard total)
The total score you are supposed to post would be figured as follows, using the ESC system. With a 42 Course Handicap, the ESC maximum hole score is 10.
5 - 7 - 10 - 6 - 8 - 10 - 3 - 6 - 5 - 10 - 4 - 6 - 9 - 7 - 6 - 4 - 10 - 7 = 123 (posting total)
The above ESC maximum hole scores apply when you are playing 18 holes. If you are only playing 9 holes (either on a 9 hole course or only playing half of an 18 hole course), the ESC table (Section 10-3 of the manual) is as follows:
Course Handicap Maximum Number on any hole- 9 holes
4 or less Double Bogey
5 thru 9 7
10 thru 14 8
15 thru 19 9
20 or more 10
If you are only playing 9 holes, is your Course Handicap the same as it is for 18 holes? No. It will be half of the 18 hole Course Handicap because you are only playing half of the holes.
Should I post a round where I didn't play a full 18 holes? How do I score a hole that I didn't finish, or didn't play at all?
You should always post a round played under the Rules of Golf, with some conditions. First of all, 9 hole rounds must be posted just as you would for an 18 hole round. When you post your score, notice that you are asked if you played 18 or 9 holes after you input your GHIN number and last name. Make sure you post the correct number of holes you played (gosh - if you played 9 holes and posted an 18 hole round, just think how much your handicap would drop!!!).
If you have ever posted a nine hole round, you might have noticed that the round did not show up on your posted score summary sheet after the next SCGA bi-monthly update of your Handicap Index. How come?
The SCGA computer only uses full 18 hole rounds when it calculates your Handicap Index. It will store a 9 hole round for one year, or until you have posted another 20 full rounds after the 9 hole round. If you play a second 9 hole round before the first 9 hole round has run its cycle, the computer will marry the two 9 hole rounds into one 18 hole round, and a composite 18 hole round will be added to your summary sheet (it uses the average slope rating and the sum of the course ratings for nine holes for each course played).
It does not matter if the two 9 holes rounds are played on different courses, the same course or even the same 9 holes on the same course. The computer will make an adjustment of course and slope ratings, tees played, etc. to make the composite 18 hole round posting. If a year has passed since you posted a 9 hole round, or if you have posted 20 full rounds since you posted the first 9 hole round, the next 9 hole round you post will be treated as your first 9 hole round because the original has already cycled through.
Let's go a bit deeper. How many holes must be played to post a score, whether it is a 9 hole or an 18 hole posting? What if you finished 15 holes and weather conditions forced you to stop play, or you broke a leg climbing into a sand trap on hole #12 and could not finish, or you got hit by a golf ball on hole #8 and could not finish your round?
The USGA Handicap System manual gives direction on this in Section 5-2. If 13 or more holes are completed, you must post an 18 hole round. If only 7 to 12 holes are completed, you must post a 9 hole round. As an example, I lifted on five holes at our Tierra Rejada tournament. Since I had played 13 holes, I must post the round as an 18 hole round. If I had lifted on one more hole, I could only post as a 9 hole round, since I would have only completed 12 holes.
So, since I lifted on five holes, what score do I put down for the five holes I did not complete? For our tournaments, historically we have been putting a score of 20 for holes that were either not played at all or where the hole was not finished. I could not find where this originated, but it seems fair. It effectively takes the golfer out of the running for total gross or total net side pots. Officially, I am told that not finishing or playing a single hole means disqualification from the total gross and total net side pots, but the player is still eligible for other side pots, including other gross and net hole score pots.
Unplayed and unfinshed holes are supposed to be signified on the scorecard by a 20 with an "X" on that particular hole score (my scorecard at Tierra Rejada had 5 "20X"s. Officially, an unplayed hole should be shown as the score preceded by an "X", e.g., "X20", while an unfinished hole should be scored as the score followed by an "X", e.g., "20X". The easy way to remember this relates to when the decision was made. If (for whatever reason) you decided not to play the hole at all, the "X" goes before the score - your decision was made before starting the hole ("X20"). If you had one or more strokes on the hole and chose not to finish,, the decision was made after you started, so the "X" goes after the score ("20X").
For handicap posting purposes in our tournaments, scores of 20 will be automatically adjusted downward to your maximum ESC score (see previous newsletter). But what score do you post on your casual round that is not one of our tournaments? What should you post for a hole, say a par 5, when you lifted after only hitting you tee shot?
According to The USGA Handicap System manual, the highest score you can record for an unplayed or unfinished hole is your maximum ESC score. However, the manual also states that , for an unplayed hole, for handicap purposes, the score to be posted for the affected hole is par plus any handicap strokes you would receive for that hole. If the hole was started but not finished, the score (for handicap purposes) is to be the sum of the strokes already taken plus the number of strokes you think it would take you to finish the hole 50% of the time, with a maximum being your ESC score - this is referred to in the manual as "most likely score". Yes, this is subjective, and it is up to the player to decide how many strokes to add to those already taken. Once again, the honor system comes into play here.
For example, on the par 3 hole #14 at Tierra Rejada, I hit my tee shot into the deep grass just in front of the tee box. We were running behind, so I lifted rather than look for the ball (I should probably have hit another ball, but the other cart in our foursome was halfway to the green already, so I didn't). I would expect to score and average of 4 on a par three based on my handicap, so I should post a 6 for that hole (not on the scorecard - that's a 20, but for handicap purposes only, I should post a 6 - had I hit another tee shot, I would be laying 3 with 3 more expected shots to get in the hole). My maximum ESC is 7, so 6 should be the correct posting.
In most cases, a player lifts after he has taken so many shots on a hole that frustration sets in, and the "most likely score" will exceed his/her maximum ESC score. But for a case like mine above, the ESC score is not the one to be posted on the computer. So please, if a player lifts on a hole, show the "20X" on the scorecard to indicate that the hole was not finished, but below it also show the "most likely score" in parenthesis ( ) if that score is less than the player's maximum ESC score. If a player does not play a hole, show "X20" on the scorecard and I will make the adjustment, for handicap purposes, when I input the hole by hole scores.
Let's do an example. During a tournament at Los Serranos, several foursomes could not complete play because of darkness. Most had completed at least 13 holes, so for handicap purposes they met the minimum holes played requirement for handicap posting. Group 2 was on the tee of hole 14 when play was called - no one had teed off yet. For handicap posting, their adjusted scores for the first 13 holes would be added to a score of par plus handicap strokes for the remaining holes 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18.
Group 1 was on the fairway of hole 14 when play was halted. Since they had already started playing the hole, for handicap purposes, their posted score should be the sum of their adjusted scores for the first 13 holes, plus their "most likely score" for hole 14 that they did not finish, plus par plus handicap strokes for holes 15, 16, 17 and 18.
Group 3 didn't get to finish hole 13 when play was called. Since they do not satisfy the minimum 13 holes needed to post an 18 hole round, they can only post their adjusted scores for the first 9 holes.
Are range finders allowed to be used during a round of golf, tournament or not? The official question is: Are scores made using information generated from a Distance Measuring Device acceptable for handicap purposes?
According to The USGA Handicap System manual, Section 5-1f/2, the answer is:
"In certain situations, yes. If the Distance Measuring Device measures distance only, the score is acceptable for handicap purposes, regardless of whether the Committee has established a Local Rule allowing the use of a distance measuring device. However, the use of a device that gauges or measures other conditions that might affect a player's play (e.g., wind or gradient) is not permitted and makes the score unacceptable for handicap purposes, even if these capabilities are disabled or not used."
So, if your device measures wind speed, direction, elevation change or ground slopes, etc. - anything other than distance - it cannot be used, even if you turn off those functions during play...sorry, if you paid more for it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disqualification
What constitutes "disqualification" for one of our Sandtrap tournaments? Since play is supposed to be in accordance with the Rul Disqualification
What constitutes "disqualification" for one of our Sandtrap tournaments? Since play is supposed to be in accordance with the Rules of Golf (USGA), failure to finish a hole, or not playing a hole, constitutes disqualification for the overall tournament. Failure to follow any of those rules (e. g., failure to sign a scorecard, or signing an incorrect scorecard) are also grounds for disqualification, and even the pros are occasionally DQ'd for these violations. Players are supposed to be familiar with all of the rules. Older, more experienced players will sometimes "remind" other players of particular issues. I remember Kenny Carlson once letting me know of a sand trap issue. I was in a fairway trap, and we were waiting for the group ahead to clear the green. The trap I was in had numerous footprints in it, so I thought I'd do the trap a favor and rake the trap while we waited (not even near my ball). Kenny jumped all over me, telling me that you cannot touch the sand even with a rake, as that could give you an unfair advantage in knowing what the sand was like (wetness, depth, fluff, etc.). Penalty stroke!
I advise all players to become particularly familiar with the rules relating to unplayable lies, point of nearest relief, lost balls, water hazards, lateral hazards and out-of-bounds, as these are common situations faced by golfers in our tournaments. Failure to adhere to any rules can be grounds for penalty strokes and/or disqualification. Try to read and understand one rule or section every day if you can (put your rule book in the bathroom and read while you are "waking up" in the morning).
If you break a rule that qualifies for disqualification (and not all rules carry that severe of a penalty - some are just one or two penalty strokes), you must disqualify yourself from the tournament. You cannot win the tournament, but you do still qualify for side pots, etc.. Also, your score may still qualify for handicap purposes (see March Newsletter above). I suggest you fill out your scorecard as you normally would, put a DQ below your score on any DQ hole (see March Newsletter), and I can take it from there as far as posting your score for the tournament and handicap purposes.
es of Golf (USGA), failure to finish a hole, or not playing a hole, constitutes disqualification for the overall tournament. Failure to follow any of those rules (e. g., failure to sign a scorecard, or signing an incorrect scorecard) are also grounds for disqualification, and even the pros are occasionally DQ'd for these violations.Players are supposed to be familiar with all of the rules. Older, more experienced players will sometimes "remind" other players of particular issues. I remember Kenny Carlson once letting me know of a sand trap issue. I was in a fairway trap, and we were waiting for the group ahead to clear the green. The trap I was in had numerous footprints in it, so I thought I'd do the trap a favor and rake the trap while we waited (not even near my ball). Kenny jumped all over me, telling me that you cannot touch the sand even with a rake, as that could give you an unfair advantage in knowing what the sand was like (wetness, depth, fluff, etc.). Penalty stroke!
I advise all players to become particularly familiar with the rules relating to unplayable lies, point of nearest relief, lost balls, water hazards, lateral hazards and out-of-bounds, as these are common situations faced by golfers in our tournaments. Failure to adhere to any rules can be grounds for penalty strokes and/or disqualification. Try to read and understand one rule or section every day if you can (put your rule book in the bathroom and read while you are "waking up" in the morning).
If you break a rule that qualifies for disqualification (and not all rules carry that severe of a penalty - some are just one or two penalty strokes), you must disqualify yourself from the tournament. You cannot win the tournament, but you do still qualify for side pots, etc.. Also, your score may still qualify for handicap purposes (see March Newsletter above). I suggest you fill out your scorecard as you normally would, put a DQ below your score on any DQ hole (see March Newsletter), and I can take it from there as far as posting your score for the tournament and handicap purposes.
Hope this helps.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disqualification for Wrong Scorecard Total
Whose responsibility is it for correctly adding the total hole scores on the scorecards turned in for the tournaments? It is the committee's responsibility for adding the scores correctly, not the player nor the scorekeeper ("marker"). The "USGA Rules of Golf", decision 6-6d.2 states the following: Q. In stroke play, a competitor returns his score card to the Committee. The hole-by-hole scores are correct, but the competitor records a total score which is one stroke lower than his actual total score. Is the competitor subject to penalty? A. No. The competitor is responsible only for the correctness of the score recorded for each hole — Rule 6-6d. The Committee is responsible for the addition of scores — Rule 33-5. If the competitor records a wrong total score, the Committee must correct the error, without penalty to the competitor. Timely Posting of Scores Scores should preferably be posted (either at the course or via computer) on the day of play or as soon as practical after play has occurred. Since the SCGA recalculates your Handicap Index on the 15th and last day of each month, you really should post no later than the day before each recalculation takes effect. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hitting The Wrong Ball
The immediate penalty is 2 strokes for hitting the wrong ball (Rule 15-3). This penalty only occurs the first time you hit that particular wrong ball - after the first hit, it becomes the ball in play and no additional penalty strokes are assessed if you hit it on your next stoke, or next, etc. - 2 strokes maximum for that wrong ball.
If you finish the hole with the wrong ball and tee off on the next hole (or, in the case where the hole is the last hole in your round, hole out and walk off the green), you are disqualified in our normal stroke play format. To avoid the DQ, you have to discover the mistake before the aforementioned 2 conditions (teeing off on the next tee or walking off the last hole, if it occurred on the 18th hole) and rectified the error by going back to the position where you hit the wrong ball and find your original ball, then playing the hole with your own ball.
If you can find your ball, your score for that hole will be the number of strokes you took with your original ball plus the two stroke penalty (of course, this will hold up play and Gary will be all over you - you'll have to face the music). If you can't find your ball, you have to treat it as a lost ball - a distance plus 1 stroke additional penalty. You have to back to the position where you hit the ball that you lost, add the penalty stroke for a lost ball, and continue to finish the hole. Your total score for the hole will be the number of strokes you took with your own ball, plus a 1 stroke penalty for the lost ball, plus the 2 stroke penalty for hitting the wrong ball. Your ESC score will likely control as far as handicap purposes go, and you would still be in the tournament and not disqualified. Of course, the going back even further and playing the hole again will hold up play, and Gary will still be on your case.
Hopefully you will discover that you hit the wrong ball before the next shot, go back as described above, and not delay play too much. Good luck to you all - clearly mark your ball and check to make sure you are hitting the correct ball before each shot. A “Hazard” is defined in the Rules of Golf (Section II) as any bunker or water hazard. First things first, there is no definition in the Rules of Golf for a “Lateral Hazard” so forget that term altogether. When we are instructed by course management at the start of a tournament, for example, to play “environmentally sensitive areas” as “lateral hazards”, they really mean to say “lateral water hazards”. The real difference between a water hazard and a lateral water hazard is the difference in how a ball in the hazard is played in each instance. Note that both water hazards and lateral water hazards must be distinctly marked as explained below. If they are not distinctly marked, they are not hazards. First some basic definitions and explanations that will help you to know the difference between a “water hazard” and a “lateral water hazard”: Water Hazards are defined as “any sea, lake, pond, river, ditch, surface drainage ditch or other open water course (whether or not containing water) and anything of a similar nature on the course. All ground and water within the margin of a water hazard are part of the water hazard.” Water Hazards are indicated by the color YELLOW. The margin of a water hazard is typically defined by yellow stakes. Sometimes, a yellow line on the ground further defines the margin of a water hazard. Where only stakes are used, the boundary or margin of the water hazard is a connect-the-dots line measured from the OUTSIDE face of the nearest two stakes. The stakes themselves are deemed to be IN the hazard. Where lines on the ground are also used, the stakes define the hazard itself, and the outside edge of the lines on the ground define the margin of the hazard. Here still, the stakes and lines themselves are considered to be INSIDE the hazard. A ball is IN a water hazard if it lies within the hazard (that’s obvious) or any part of it touches the margin of the hazard. Note that the margin is assumed to project vertically without limit. Your ball could be sitting next to a margin line on the ground, but may not be touching the line. If any part of the diameter of the ball hangs over the vertical projection of the margin line, it is deemed to be inside the hazard. Lateral Water Hazards are defined in the Rules of Golf as a water hazard so situated that it is not possible or is impractical to drop a ball BEHIND the hazard in accordance with the Rules of Golf (more below). As a preliminary simplification, let’s say you hit into a water hazard (yellow stakes) that is in front of the green. In this situation, you would drop a ball on the side of the hazard away from the green (more later). No big loss of distance. Now let’s say you hit your ball into a lake that runs beside the fairway for the entire hole. Dropping BEHIND the hazard could take you into the next county, so a “Lateral Water Hazard” was invented so that you could drop a ball laterally BESIDE the hazard. Lateral hazards are indicated by the color RED. If stakes only are used, the boundary or margin of the lateral water hazard is a connect-the-dots line measured from the OUTSIDE face (away from the hazard) of the nearest two red stakes. The stakes themselves are deemed to be IN the hazard. Sometimes only lines (red) on the ground are used – in this case the OUTSIDE face (away from the hazard) of the line defines the margin of the hazard. Where both stakes and lines are used, the stakes define the hazard itself, and the OUTSIDE edge (away from the hazard) of the lines on the ground define the margin of the hazard. The stakes and lines themselves are considered to be INSIDE the hazard. All that said, I must say that some courses seem to take liberties with the colors of stakes and lines that indicate water hazards and lateral water hazards. Possibly it is because the color red shows up better than the color yellow on grass, but I have seen obvious regular water hazards defined by red stakes and lines. At Robinson Ranch, I remember seeing both color lines together along the environmentally sensitive areas, almost on top of each other – perhaps someone advised the course that they were using the wrong color…something for you all to watch for in our next tournament. Now that we know how to identify a water hazard and a lateral water hazard, how does it affect what we do if we hit into one (or think we have). Rule 26 of the Rules of Golf governs your options for playing out of these hazards. Note that Rule 26 makes it clear that you must be “virtually certain” that an unfound ball is actually in the hazard (either type, whether in water or not). Was your ball heading towards the hazard? Would it have reached the hazard? If there is some doubt (for example, is there a lot of tall grass nearby, outside of the marked margin of the hazard, where the ball just might be), you must opt for playing the ball as a lost ball, and conform to the Rules of Golf for a lost ball (Rule 27.1). So, we are “virtually certain” that our ball IS in the hazard. What do we do? In all cases noted below, there is a ONE STROKE PENALTY for getting the described relief. The ball, if found, may be lifted and cleaned, or a new ball substituted if not found, under this rule: a. Play a ball as nearly as possible from the original spot the ball was last played (go back to the spot you were when you hit the ball into the hazard) – OK for both water hazard and lateral water hazard cases. b. For a WATER HAZARD, drop a ball BEHIND the margin of the water hazard, keeping the point at which the ball (in flight or a grounder) LAST crossed the margin of the water hazard between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped, with no limit as to how far BEHIND the water hazard the ball may be dropped. I saw Sergio Garcia recently drop 60 yards from a hazard, simply because he was more comfortable hitting a 100 yard shot into the flag than a 40 yard shot from behind the hazard – go figure. c. For a LATERAL WATER HAZARD, drop a ball outside of the margin of the hazard, within 2 club lengths of (and not nearer the hole) than (1) the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the lateral water hazard, or, (2) a point on the opposite margin of the lateral water hazard, equidistant from the hole. I remember Nick Price once hitting into a lateral water hazard near a green, and, instead of dropping on the side of the hazard away from the green, he actually got a drop on the green from the “opposite margin”, being no closer to where the pin was located and meeting all the requirements of this rule (must’ve been a uniquely shaped green and hazard!!). The TV commentators had a field day. There are more parts to Rule 26 that pertain to hitting a ball within a hazard, hitting a ball in moving water, and other interesting variations of conditions you might find yourself in. I invite you all to check out this rule online (search for USGA Rules), and check out all of the Decisions they include for unique and amusing scenarios. Out of Bounds and Provisional Balls One of the reasons we experience slow play during tournaments is because some players do not understand the Rules of Golf. If you THINK your shot is out of bounds or possibly lost in a hazard, by all means hit a "provisional" ball. You must announce to other players in your foursome that you are hitting a provisional ball. If you do not make it known of your intent, the new ball you hit is in play, and you must take the appropriate penalty for a lost ball (1 stroke + distance, meaning you hit the ball from the location where you last hit the "lost" ball). Sand Traps There was an interesting article regarding sand traps in the July/August Fore magazine that we all get with our SCGA membership. I have always been told that you cannot disturb the sand in a bunker in any way prior to making your shot (other than your footprints). The rational was that, by disturbing the sand, you gain an unfair advantage because you know better the depth, wetness, hardness and texture of the bunker that could effect your shot selection. In retrospect, you can do that just walking around the trap. | |||
