6 Rules Most Golfers Don't Know
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00:00 Hello everyone, Neil Tappan here from Golf Monthly and welcome to the London Club
00:03 and this video on the six rules most golfers do not know.
00:06 Now, if you play golf long enough,
00:08 you will encounter pretty much all of these scenarios at some point,
00:12 and it pays to know exactly what to do.
00:14 Now the advice in this video comes courtesy of Jez Elwood.
00:17 He'll talk you through what you can and what you cannot do in all of these
00:20 different positions around the golf course. And now, of course,
00:23 if you have any questions or comments about any of the things that we're talking
00:26 about, please do leave them below and we'll get back to as many of you as possible.
00:30 But let's get started now looking at the six rules most golfers don't know.
00:33 Okay, Jez, so I've missed a six footer here for my par.
00:48 Bogey on the 13th hole here on the international course at the London Club.
00:52 I quite like to have a little practice and have another go at that. Can I?
00:56 Yes, you can. As long as you're not unduly holding up play,
01:00 there's no one in the fairway behind. So that wouldn't be a problem here.
01:03 You wouldn't have the honour on the next tee,
01:05 so you don't need to rush up there so you can have another go at that putt.
01:08 The rules of golf during a round allow you to practice in a very limited way.
01:12 Right, so I can practice my putts. Can I practice chips?
01:16 You can practice. Yep. Sorry to interrupt.
01:18 No, if I'm just off the chip, can I have another go at that?
01:20 Yeah, definitely. You can practice your putting or your chipping on or near the
01:25 green you've just played or on or near the next tee you're about to play from.
01:28 The one thing you can't do green side is practice bunker shots.
01:31 Right, okay. And the key thing is don't delay play.
01:34 I would say if you're doing it all the time,
01:36 it's probably going to start to slightly frustrate your playing partners because
01:38 you'll be slowing play down, even if you aren't holding anybody up.
01:41 Is that fair? Probably, yes. But as long as you're not holding play up,
01:45 there is no restriction on practicing putting and chipping.
01:49 Green you've just played or the tee you're just about to come play from.
01:52 Yeah. And in a scenario like this, we've just missed a makeable putt.
01:55 It's totally understandable and fine. Just have another go at that.
01:59 As I say, just make sure that you're not holding up play.
02:01 Okay, so the next one on our list relates to golf equipment and golf balls in
02:09 particular,
02:09 and I think a lot of people think that they need to choose a golf ball,
02:13 an exact model and then play all of the holes during a round with that model.
02:17 And that's true, but only for certain golfers.
02:19 It's really only professional and perhaps elite amateur level where something
02:23 called the one ball condition is in force,
02:25 which does mean you have to play exactly the same brand and model throughout the
02:29 entire round.
02:29 Yeah. So I've got a Pro 1X and a Pro 1 in my hands here.
02:33 You'd have to choose which one of those you were going to play with and use it
02:35 for the whole way round. But for your average amateur, myself and you included,
02:39 Jez, what are the rules for us?
02:41 Well, that rule does that condition doesn't exist for us at club level.
02:45 So we can actually switch between brands and models as much as we like,
02:50 between the playing of holes. During a hole,
02:53 the ball would have to be damaged for you to exchange it. But between holes,
02:56 you could switch from a distance ball on one hole,
02:59 where you've been trying to get it down there as far as possible to a softer ball
03:02 on the next hole where, you know,
03:04 maybe the green's a bit tricky and you've got to have a bit more control coming
03:07 into the green.
03:07 Okay. What if you lose a ball on a hole? So halfway through the hole,
03:10 you haven't damaged it, but you've lost it.
03:11 Are you allowed to change the golf ball?
03:13 Yeah, you'd be able to use a different model then.
03:15 Yeah. And just make sure in that scenario that you are always using a golf ball
03:18 that's on the conforming list. What's the rule number?
03:20 6.3A is the rule number. And as Neil says,
03:23 the conforming list is quite important because there are some balls out there
03:26 which are deliberately designed to go as far as possible or straight as possible.
03:30 And some of them don't conform.
03:32 Yeah. So there you have it.
03:32 Some really handy advice on which golf balls you are and are not allowed to use.
03:42 Okay. So this one is all about moving your golf ball accidentally.
03:45 And there are some circumstances on the golf course, Jez,
03:48 when actually you're penalised and some when you're not penalised.
03:51 Let's start with the first one. So let's say your golf ball's in here.
03:54 My golf ball is in here. I can actually see it.
03:56 But the rough is so bad here that in order to find it,
04:00 you're probably going to be swishing around with your feet and your golf club.
04:02 What happens if you accidentally move it in that scenario?
04:04 Okay. Well, in that scenario now from 2019,
04:07 there'd be no penalty for moving it. There would have been before.
04:10 Right.
04:10 And I think this is perhaps what's caused a bit of confusion.
04:13 This and another couple of things.
04:15 Now, if you move it when searching for it, no penalty.
04:18 You must replace it where it was to the best of your ability and play on.
04:22 Okay, Jez. So what happens if you accidentally move the golf ball on the green or on the tee?
04:27 Okay. Well, these are the two more instances where you wouldn't be penalised.
04:31 On the teeing area, you wouldn't be penalised if you moved your ball on a practice
04:34 swing because the ball isn't in play at that point. Right. Okay.
04:37 So you just tee it back up and play.
04:39 On the putting green, it's now the case that if you move your ball accidentally
04:43 or your ball marker, there's no penalty.
04:46 You replace whichever one of the two it was and play on without penalty.
04:50 Right. Okay. But yes, those are the scenarios when you don't get penalised.
04:55 What are the scenarios where you do?
04:56 Okay. Well, the scenario where you do get penalised is if you're in the general area
05:00 or a penalty area
05:01 in the rough or the fairway and perhaps you move your ball on the practice swing
05:06 or absentmindedly walk into it while you're going to get a club.
05:09 I think a lot of people now think because they've got all these concepts of no
05:13 no penalty for accidental movement, this is okay.
05:16 But it isn't. In those areas of the golf course,
05:19 if you move your ball accidentally, there is still a penalty.
05:22 Yes. And you must replace the ball.
05:23 That's covered under rule 9.4b.
05:25 Yeah. Penalty shot, replace the ball.
05:27 So it's the putting green, the tee.
05:29 And if you're searching for it, other than that, there will be a penalty.
05:32 Right, Jez, I'm going to have a go at this. Yeah, good luck.
05:34 It's not the most inviting of shots. There's water behind there.
05:37 I don't know.
05:37 Oh, get down.
05:42 Oh, that could be.
05:43 OK, so this one is about what happens
05:50 if the golf ball accidentally hits you after you've hit it.
05:53 So there are two scenarios, I think, where this is most likely to happen
05:56 in the bunker where you hit one thin, it hits the face, comes back and hits you.
06:00 Or if you're taking on a risky recovery shot through the trees,
06:03 perhaps you hit a tree and it comes back and hits you.
06:04 Jez, there's been a bit of a change to this rule over the years.
06:07 And there, I think we think there's a bit of confusion as a result of that.
06:11 Clear up for us.
06:12 Yeah, I think some people are living in different eras, perhaps.
06:14 And they remember that back in 2003, when Jeff Maggot,
06:17 contending for the Masters, hit a bunker face and it bounced back and hit him.
06:21 He got a two shot penalty, which effectively killed his chances.
06:24 And that rule was then changed in 2008 to a one shot penalty
06:29 for the ball accidentally striking you after you've hit it.
06:31 And then in 2019, with the latest revisions, it's now no penalty.
06:35 So the rule has evolved significantly over quite a short period of time.
06:39 Yeah, there you go. It's really important to know.
06:41 So there might be some people out there that think that there is a penalty.
06:44 If somebody tries to add a penalty to your score in that scenario,
06:48 you can inform that actually in 2019, that rule changed.
06:52 And there is no penalty if the ball accidentally hits you after you hit it.
06:55 Right, OK, so we have a scenario here that just I know a few people
07:04 have written to you about and asked you, what do you do in this in this specific instance?
07:07 So my golf ball, the approach to the green has sort of plugged here.
07:11 It has plugged in.
07:12 And it's on a slope and the greens are cut nice and tight.
07:15 They're really fast.
07:17 Now, I've mended the pitch mark, put my marker down.
07:20 If I put the ball back on that spot. Yeah.
07:22 That ball is going to move. It is.
07:24 Now, there's just...
07:27 That's just that's going to happen because it's such a steep slope. Yeah.
07:30 Do I play the ball from there?
07:32 You don't. What you do is you have another go at placing it.
07:36 And if it then still won't stay at rest. Which it won't.
07:39 Pretty unlikely.
07:41 So now you have to place it at the nearest spot where it will stay at rest.
07:48 And I think the thing people perhaps don't realise,
07:50 imagine this was a really steep tier, that spot could be quite a long way away.
07:55 Yeah. I mean, even in this scenario, this is a fairly steep tier.
07:57 The greens are so fast.
07:59 I think I would be quite a long way over there, actually.
08:01 Yeah, if I just rolled a slightly different way, that could have gone 25 feet away.
08:04 Yeah. And of course, it may stay at rest here, halfway down the slope,
08:08 because it wouldn't have the same momentum.
08:09 You just don't know.
08:10 You've got to find the nearest spot where it will stay at rest, not near the hole.
08:14 Yes. And when you're on the green, that can be
08:15 on the green or in the general area.
08:18 So it could be in the fringe.
08:20 And I think, you know, sometimes not in this particular instance,
08:23 but the angle might be that you end up being able to place it on the top tier.
08:27 Yeah. And get in a bit of a lucky break.
08:28 If the green was a bit further behind me.
08:29 More green over there.
08:30 And that was the nearest point where it would stay at rest rather than 25 feet
08:34 down there.
08:34 You could have a bit of a lucky break and end up with a single tier putt
08:37 rather than a...
08:38 Interesting. So in this scenario, I think my nearest spot would be about here
08:42 because that's the fringe.
08:44 Right. If that's staying at rest then, and that is your nearest point,
08:47 then that ball would now be in play.
08:50 And play on. And play on. Yeah.
08:52 OK, so the last one on our list to look at is a rule that I had never heard before.
09:05 As the title of the video would suggest.
09:07 Jez, you're going to have to talk me through this one.
09:09 OK, so you'll find this rule 21.1c, one of the exceptions to this rule.
09:13 And it's about Stableford scoring.
09:15 So you've got to imagine a scenario.
09:17 You're on the fifth hole of a Stableford
09:19 and you realise you've got 15 clubs in the bag.
09:21 Oops. Yeah. Now, you know, most golfers know that's quite a serious penalty.
09:25 In fact, it's two shots per hole up to a maximum of four shots in total.
09:29 So two holes where you could potentially lose two shots.
09:32 Right. So I would lose four shots in that scenario.
09:34 But in a Stableford, let's say you've just started blob blob.
09:38 Yeah. You would have had those four shots added to your first two holes.
09:42 Yeah. First two holes at which the breach occurred.
09:43 Yes. But in Stableford, that's not the case.
09:46 Well, it's not the case because, as you say, if you blob those two holes,
09:50 you then get two more shots added to that score.
09:52 It's still a blob, isn't it?
09:53 So you're effectively not being penalised.
09:55 So to keep things fairer,
09:57 the points are actually deducted from your overall Stableford points
10:01 total at the end.
10:02 Two points at each hole at which a breach occurred.
10:05 Yes. So 35 points goes down to 31.
10:07 Yeah. Regardless of the fact that you started blob blob.
10:10 Yeah, exactly.
10:11 So it's just to kind of keep things fair in a system where
10:14 excess shots get ignored effectively in a Stableford.
10:17 Yes, because once you've reached a certain level, then you're not scoring.
10:20 Yeah. I mean, this one fairly niche, as Jez said, but it's worth worth knowing
10:24 there are penalties attached to carrying too many golf clubs,
10:27 even if in a Stableford you start with two blobs.
10:29 So there you have it.
10:31 That's our look at the six rules most golfers do not know.
10:34 If you've enjoyed the video, please do hit the like button.
10:36 And if you have any comments, leave them in the box below.
10:38 We'll get back to as many people as we can.
10:40 But that's it for now from the London Club.
10:42 We'll see you next time.
10:43 Oh.
10:43 Oh. Oh. Oh.
10:50 (upbeat music)