GOLF RULE FOR THE WEEK:
Tee Markers
Question 1:
In a stroke play competition, a player notices that tee markers appear to be aimed in the wrong direction, so they move one to align it with the other and then tee off. What is the ruling?
a) They have straightened the tee markers for the benefit of all following competitors, so there is no penalty.
b) They incur a penalty of two strokes.
c) They are disqualified from the competition.
Answer 1:
c) They are disqualified from the competition.
Question 2:
In the same circumstances as above, what is the penalty, if any, if the player replaces the tee marker before they or any other player plays from the teeing ground?
Answer 2:
They incur a penalty of 2 strokes.
Decision 11-2/2b states;
A player moves a tee-marker before or after playing a stroke from the teeing ground because, in his view, the tee-markers are too close together, too far back, aimed in the wrong direction or some similar reason – disqualification under Rule 33-7, unless the tee-marker is replaced before the player or any other player plays from the teeing ground, in which case the penalty is modified to loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play.
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Question 3:
In a stroke play competition, a player’s ball comes to rest against a tee marker on a different hole to the one that they are playing. What is the ruling?
a) The player may move the tee marker to make their stroke.
b) The player may not move the tee marker and is not permitted to take relief without penalty, so they must play their ball as it lies.
c) In the Rules of Golf the status of a tee marker is ‘fixed’, so the player may drop away from it, without penalty.
Answer 3:
a) The player may move the tee marker to make their stroke.
Under Rule 11-2, tee-markers are deemed to be fixed when playing the first stroke with any ball from the teeing ground, after which they are obstructions. Decision 11-2/1.