In this video, Neil Tappin is joined by rules guru Jeremy Ellwood to look at some of the most surprising golf rules. For one reason or another these are all rules that golfers sometimes get wrong or don't fully understand. Neil and Jeremy explain exactly what they are and how to proceed in each of these scenarios. Whether you're a regular golfer or just getting started these 7 rules are all well worth knowing.
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00:00 Hello everyone, Neil Tappan here from Golf Monthly and welcome to the London Club and this video on
00:04 the seven most surprising golf rules that could, could potentially catch you out. Now these are all
00:09 rules of golf that you will encounter during the course of a normal 18 holes that there is a little
00:15 bit of confusion around and we're going to try to make sure that we clarify the situation so that
00:20 you don't incur any penalty shots. Now the advice in this video comes courtesy of Jez Elwood, he's a
00:25 qualified rules official, he'll explain everything you need to know. Right, as I mentioned we're here
00:29 at the London Club, let's get started.
00:31 Oh that's nice, that looks about the right club. Okay so this one is all about the information that
00:49 you are allowed and are not allowed to gather before you play. Now Jez, I believe you've not
00:55 broken the rules here. I have not. But there's a fine line isn't there between doing something that you're
00:59 allowed to do and then breaking the rules, what is it? Well the fine line is that I can't ask you
01:04 what club you've just hit unless you were my partner in a pairs match. Yes. I can look in your
01:09 bag to try and work out what club you've just hit. Right, so you can see that I've hit a four iron.
01:13 Yeah, I was having a good look there to try and work out what you're hitting.
01:17 Obviously a shot like this is quite important. What I can't do is actually, let's say your head
01:22 cover was lying across the clubs or a towel or you had the bag cover on, I'm not allowed to touch
01:27 your equipment. Right. And that is prohibited under rule 10.2 which is the rule that covers advice.
01:32 If I were to touch your equipment I would be penalised under that rule and the penalty would
01:36 be the general penalty. So if this was a match I've just lost the hole, if this was a stroke play
01:41 competition I've just incurred a two-shot penalty. So it's a fine line, just be very careful on that one.
01:45 Now something that you are allowed to do, you are allowed to ask what the yardage is. So if I've
01:49 already got my laser out and zapped the yardage, you're allowed to say to me, so what is that? I don't have
01:53 to tell you. You don't have to tell me. I probably would otherwise that might be seen as being a bit
01:57 rude. I guess that sort of thing helps speed up play doesn't it? It would do yes and I personally
02:03 at the moment don't have a laser and sometimes that can just help a little bit but you're obviously
02:06 not obliged to tell me. I may have to sit there and work it all out for myself. Yeah, so there
02:10 you go, that's what you are and are not allowed to do when it comes to gathering information before you play.
02:16 [Music]
02:20 Okay, so this one is all about something called backstopping and backstopping is a term that came
02:24 to prominence I think probably a couple of years ago through a few incidents that took place
02:28 on tour. Jez, what is backstopping? Well it's effectively, as it implies, leaving a ball there
02:34 that could act as a backstop to a shot played from off the green to stop it going as far past the
02:39 hole as it otherwise might. Okay, so this ball here, let's say you've chipped up and you've left your
02:44 ball there. I'm off the green chipping on. Yes. You're about to mark that and I say to you,
02:49 just leave that there Jez, that might come in handy, stop my ball from you know drifting off to about here.
02:53 That's not allowed. That is not allowed. As you see in the clip there I could at that point have said
02:58 no I am going to mark it and then the situation was dealt with but in that clip you'll see that I
03:03 agree to leave that in there so the two of us have agreed between us to leave that ball there as a
03:07 backstop potentially help you. So the question is who gets the penalty and how bad is that penalty?
03:13 Okay well in this scenario both players that have agreed to leave the ball there as a backstop get a
03:18 two-shot penalty. So you get a two-shot penalty as well. I get one as well yeah so it really isn't worth it.
03:24 And it's only in stroke play so this is a rule it's 15.3a in the book and it's only in stroke play.
03:30 Yeah I can see how it doesn't necessarily need to apply in match play because you would always mark
03:34 that in match play. Yeah you wouldn't want to help your opponent. But there is also an
03:39 important distinction here to make between if my ball was on the green versus if it's off the green.
03:43 If it's off the green this becomes rule 15.3a but if my ball's on the green in this
03:49 sort of scenario. Yes so if both balls are on the green and your ball strikes mine then you are penalised
03:55 two shots for striking another ball at rest on the green from a shot played on the green and that's
04:00 rule 11.1a. But I wouldn't get a penalty in that scenario. So there you have it backstopping it's
04:05 a little bit complicated it is a little bit fiddly but it's one well worth remembering
04:10 because it could potentially catch you out out of the golf course.
04:12 Okay so as you can see my ball has come to rest and right on the line is a sprinkler head. Now
04:23 anyone's played golf with me before will know that I would be desperate to putt this avoiding using
04:28 my wedge to chip it at all costs but Jez I think the surprising thing about the rules of golf here
04:33 is that you don't automatically get relief in a scenario like this you don't automatically get
04:38 to drop away from the sprinkler head do you? Explain what people need to look out for. Okay
04:42 well there's a difference here between the sprinkler head actually interfering with where your
04:46 ball is lying where your stance is or the area of your intended swing. So if your foot was on that
04:52 or your ball was on that then yes you do get relief. So if I'm stood here, mine or the ball's on it.
04:57 Yeah but for a sprinkler head near the green that is simply on your line you don't get automatic
05:03 relief you need to check that there's a local rule in force. Yeah back of the scorecard have a look
05:08 to see and usually the rule the local rule will be whether this sprinkler head is within two club
05:14 lengths of the green is that right? Within two club lengths of the green and your ball is within two
05:18 club lengths of the sprinkler head which must be directly on your line. Right so if my ball was here
05:23 I wouldn't get relief if it was slightly off. Yeah yeah you would be hard pushed to justify that. Yes
05:29 so I think the advice here is always check the back of the scorecard in a situation like this.
05:33 Don't just proceed under what you think is the rules of golf because it could potentially catch
05:38 you out. I'm gonna have to chip this am I Jez? Well we need to check if there's a local rule
05:42 there which I'm hoping there won't be so I can witness you uh witness you chipping. Let me go
05:46 with the chip. Safety first. Actually making a bit of a fuss about nothing but um there we are. I
05:54 think I'd have done better with the putter but as I say this one's one to keep an eye out from.
05:58 Be careful with it, it could potentially catch you out.
06:00 This one is about what happens if you hit a shot and the ball ricochets back and hits you and I
06:10 think there are two most likely scenarios where that would happen. Fitting one into the face of
06:15 the bunker, ball comes back and hits you or maybe you're trying to chip out through the trees again
06:20 you know going for a risky shot and the ball comes back and hits you. Yeah. And Jez the surprising
06:24 thing here is what? Well the surprising thing is that from 2019 onwards there is no penalty for
06:30 that scenario. Yes. As long as it's accidental so if the ball comes back towards you and you do a
06:34 bit of nifty footwork to nudge it forward. You can't do that. Then that's not accidental but if
06:38 it's a genuine hits the tree comes back at you hits you there is no penalty. Now people might
06:43 be surprised by that because way back when I say way back when not that long ago this used to be a
06:48 two-shot penalty didn't it? Two-shot penalty until 2008 and some viewers may remember Jeff Maggott
06:55 incurring that two-shot penalty when he was vying for the masters in 2003. Came back off a bunker
07:02 face and hit him. So from 2008 it was downgraded to one shot and then from 2019 no penalty if the
07:10 ball ricochets or something comes back and hits you accidentally. Yeah so in this scenario if one
07:14 of your playing partners tries to add a penalty shot to your score just be sure to tell them
07:19 actually there is no penalty in this. So I'm going to have a go at this Jez. Try not to
07:23 thin it into the face. Well it's a long bunker shot so there is potential.
07:28 Sit. So you've just wasted one of your finest shots ever for a video. Damn it.
07:43 Right so we've all been in the following scenario where you're preparing to hit a
07:46 tee shot Jez and you're about to go waggling the club and then suddenly you nip the ball
07:51 off the tee. Now what happens in this scenario in terms of the rules?
07:55 Well after someone has inevitably said one what happens in the rules is you do exactly what you've
08:01 done you put the ball back on the tee and then play it no penalty because the ball isn't in play
08:06 at that point and I think we've seen Zach Johnson become a bit of a master at snicking the ball on
08:11 his practice swings and there is no penalty for that. There is no penalty on the tee because the
08:16 ball is not yet in play but I think the confusion here and the surprising thing here is that you do
08:22 get penalised for doing exactly this thing if you did it on the fairway in the raft bunker penalty
08:27 area because your ball is in play. Yeah your ball is in play and if you accidentally or any anyway
08:34 move your ball in play you are penalised and I think a lot of people think you're not partly
08:39 because of the tee thing partly because as we'll come on into a minute the putting green and partly
08:43 because they know that you're not penalised if you stand on your ball when searching for it now.
08:48 I think they've kind of extrapolated from that and thought there's no penalty for accidental movement
08:53 but there is so if you accidentally move your ball on the fairway with a practice swing or when you're
08:57 setting the club down behind the ball you will be penalised and you must then replace the ball
09:02 to where it was before playing your next shot. And as Jez has mentioned there is another exception
09:07 and that relates to when you're on the putting green and I think in this scenario it's because
09:11 the greens are so closely mown they're so fast in a lot of places often you're getting situations
09:17 especially on tour I think where players were taking their stance getting set up ready to play
09:21 the ball and then the ball would move and they would get previously under the rules they would
09:25 have been penalised in that scenario but not anymore. No I think there was a Harrington incident in the
09:29 Masters wasn't there a few years ago that kind of triggered a call for change and that change did
09:34 come into effect and now rather than splitting hairs they've just decided any accidental movement
09:40 on the putting green is no penalty whether that's through putting your club down behind the ball and
09:45 the ball moving or through catching it on a practice swing. Accidentally hitting it with practice swing.
09:50 And what you must do is replace the ball where it was and then carry on penalty free. Yes so there
09:56 you have it that's hopefully all you need to know when it comes to accidentally moving your ball on the golf course.
10:01 [Music]
10:16 All right so in match play right now Jez we would have quite an interesting scenario I think
10:21 because I would be tempted to come along and just sort of try and tap that in. Yeah. But you've not
10:26 given me the putt have you? I haven't because it's over three feet. Yeah and I'm likely to miss it.
10:31 So why is this a sort of slightly iffy scenario? Well you could go ahead and tap that in
10:37 if that is a tap in and you're not allowed to do that in match play because you'll be playing
10:43 out of turn because my ball is lying farther from the hole. Yeah and I think the important thing to
10:47 say here is that in match play there's so many different elements to the sort of tactics that go
10:51 on the sort of pressure that you're able to put your opponent under. If you just go up and straight
10:56 up and hit that you're sort of taking a little bit of the pressure off your own shoulders because if
11:00 you make that Jez my putt suddenly becomes more difficult doesn't it? I would think so and that
11:05 is the whole point of the rule you know there is that psychological element to match play.
11:09 You've got a three footer you think you're going to make it eight times out of ten nine times out
11:13 of ten. If I make that that might come down to six times out of ten. Yeah. Because suddenly you have
11:18 to make it. Of course in truth in this scenario it can create a bit of a sort of frosty atmosphere
11:22 between players. My feeling is that it's really down to the player who's just hit the putt i.e.
11:27 me in this scenario to make sure that I don't put you in an awkward position because if I do hole
11:32 it Jez you have a difficult decision to make don't you? Well yeah as you say it depends on a lot of
11:38 factors but I could just say I'm sorry you've played out of turn. There's no penalty for doing
11:42 so other than I could ask you to play the putt again and then if I hole mine and you miss yours
11:48 suddenly you've lost a hole and that's a completely different complexion going to the next tee. Yeah
11:54 exactly so just one to be wary of try to avoid finding yourself in that situation in match play.
11:59 This one is all about identifying your ball on the golf course. Now Jez there's certain things
12:08 here that players may have taken for granted that they are or are not allowed to do that they get
12:13 wrong in my experience. My ball is just here I can't see any identifying marks I can't see the
12:18 logo and I can't see my mark on the ball so I'm going to need to find out whether that is actually
12:22 my ball. Yes. What am I allowed to do what am I not allowed to do? Okay well rule 7.3 allows you
12:28 in this scenario to lift the ball to make a positive identification. Okay. But what you must do
12:33 and this is what people I play with all the time don't do in competitions as well as in friendlies
12:40 is mark the position of the ball first. I'm going to use a tee peg so what you can't do pick it up
12:45 oh that's mine and then put it back down again you need to use a tee peg. Do you have to call
12:48 over your playing partner to watch you go through that process? You don't anymore you used to have
12:53 to now you don't so that that part of the rule is gone but the marking its position first before
12:58 you lift it remains and if you fail to do that you will get a one-shot penalty. Yeah ouch so
13:04 remember if you're identifying your ball always use some form of marker to mark the position of
13:09 the ball then you won't go wrong. So there you have it that's our look at the seven goal falls
13:13 that are surprising that could potentially catch you out. I hope you found that video interesting
13:18 if you do have any questions please leave them below we'll try and get back to as many people
13:22 as we can but that's it for now from the London Club thanks for watching we'll see you next time.