Rules Issue

[Phana24JG]

My Friday night league plays a combination type of match play. It consists of a two-man team with an A and B flight member on both teams. There is a simultaneous team best ball w/handicap, as well as individual competition between the flighted players w/handicap. My partner is a notoriously poor green reader, so he asks me to read all of his putts.

 

Last Friday his opponent was whining about my reading his putts, and using my green map. I have "mapped" each green on the two courses I play regularly with a Breakmaster, so I have a really good idea what almost every putt will do, as well as the average grade for most putts. We replied that since it is a team best ball, we can freely give advice. The opponent contends that since 50% of our product is individual competition this is a rules violation. We have no league rule or by-law that specifically addresses this issue. Any rules gurus have any recommendations?

[RoverRick]

Tell them that he is only half listening.

[JBones]

Had the exact same issue a few years ago in league. The guy that ran the league was a rules stickler (I think he slept with the rules of golf under his pillow) and he said it was legal, because first and foremost it was a team competition, with the individual on the side. We did take it to a vote though and decided that it was legal to give your partner a read, mainly because everybody has the same opportunity. Its really no different then having a caddy.

[RoverRick]

Clearly, he meets the definition of a partner under the team play provision. Since you have two conflicting rules, the local rules comimittee needs to decide. And since there is no local rules committee, then it can not be against the rules since there are none other than the official golf rules.

 

Last week, actually, this is the second time it has come up, but in team competition, the team members can determine who goes first. This is insignificant until you get to the green and one person is outside the other but on a simular line. Last week, we had a bogey, and the other team had one guy putting for bogey, and his ball was two inches inside a guy that was putting for par. They decided to let the guy putting for bogey go first. I conceeded the putt to the guy putting for bogey so that he could not show him the line. All of this is clearly spelled out in the rules.

 

A couple of weeks ago, on the second hole, I putted for par first in order to show the line to a guy putting for birdie. They did not like it. On the next hole they were going to do the same but I conceed the putt. Making them mad. I explained that they could have conceeded the hole to me on the previous putt to me but they did not. This made them madder because they said they did not know they could have done that. I told them I was not responsible for explaining all of the options to them, that they could read the rule book as well as I could. Since I was playing with three lawyers, I was especially happy to use the rules to my advantage. Well, this week, the guy went a head and putted out, which clearly states that they forfeit the hole if they go a head and putt anyway. The guy with the par putt went ahead then and putted his 3 foot straight in putt for a par but I maintained that since his partner putted his ball after it was conceeded they lost the hole, and the subsequent carry overs and instead of them making $16 they now lost $16. They were not happy and I said that they should have said something to the guy that was putting after he had been told he could not and what the penalty would be and he did it anyway. I was not the cause of their loss, he was. They said that was B.S. and not applicable during a round of wolf because the partners change. I said it did not matter because it says nothing about partners that change. It is hole specific and they only lost that hole. However, since we were playing carryovers, and there were other holes involved that was two different rules.

 

Needless to say that there were some unhappy people, mainly with me, but I was simply using the rules. I ended up winning $26 but got stuck with a $46 bar bill. so who was smarter?

[Phana24JG]

Had the exact same issue a few years ago in league. The guy that ran the league was a rules stickler (I think he slept with the rules of golf under his pillow) and he said it was legal, because first and foremost it was a team competition, with the individual on the side. We did take it to a vote though and decided that it was legal to give your partner a read, mainly because everybody has the same opportunity. Its really no different then having a caddy.

 

LOLOL...the guy my partner was playing is a close friend of the Rules Fuhrer of our league so I know exactly where you are coming from.

[Phana24JG]

Clearly, he meets the definition of a partner under the team play provision. Since you have two conflicting rules, the local rules comimittee needs to decide. And since there is no local rules committee, then it can not be against the rules since there are none other than the official golf rules.

 

Last week, actually, this is the second time it has come up, but in team competition, the team members can determine who goes first. This is insignificant until you get to the green and one person is outside the other but on a simular line. Last week, we had a bogey, and the other team had one guy putting for bogey, and his ball was two inches inside a guy that was putting for par. They decided to let the guy putting for bogey go first. I conceeded the putt to the guy putting for bogey so that he could not show him the line. All of this is clearly spelled out in the rules.

 

 

Thanks Rick. Since this is my "friendly" league I rarely play "rule games" with the opposing team. I will share GPS and rangefinder info if asked and if I have played the hole previously that day, will volunteer pin placement or drainage/other problem issues if they so desire. The ROG are important, but when it comes to friendly competition, I believe in allowing minor transgressions such as the aforementioned, especially when it speeds up play since I consider pace of play to be the Golden Rule of Golf.

[RoverRick]

I usually play "friendly" games but the other day I got roped into a lowball team match for $150 for 9 holes. I was a "Rules Nazi" for nine holes. Play them down and putt them out, and find your own distance. My partner at one point said I seemed to be playing exceptionally well, and I explained that he made that bet and I had $22 in my pocket. "Being $128 short helps me focus.":rolleyes: Who needs Pro Mental Coach? Bet money you do not have and it will get you into the game in a hurry.

 

But usually it is $1 a hole and $10 cummulate score. It is not like we are playing with the rent money.