Ruling Please - Ball Overhanging Hole
After posting a blog on the incident shown in this photo, the R&A issued their official ruling, which contradicted mine! Apologies to those of you that had already received my blog by email. This is what The R&A have now posted on their Facebook account;
"It's got golfers talking around the globe. Here's our Ruling:
It's a very rare situation, but the R&A received a similar question 30 years ago. The answer given, which we would still apply, was as follows:
On the putting green, if the player's removal of a loose impediment causes the ball to move, the ball is replaced without penalty. As replacement of the ball would be impossible in this case, in equity (Rule 1-4), the ball is considered to be holed with the previous stroke."
New World Handicapping System
Unlike the Rules of Golf, which are unified across the world, there are currently a range of different handicapping systems used by national golfing bodies and I do not have any expertise in this area. I therefore welcome the news that the way golfers around the world will calculate their handicaps is set to be transformed by a new system developed by the USGA and The R&A, with key features designed to provide all golfers with a consistent measure of playing ability. The new World Handicap System will be implemented in 2020, one year after the modernised Rules of Golf are scheduled to come into operation, following an extensive review of systems administered by six of the existing handicapping authorities.
You can find out more about the main features of the new system at this USGA link.
Good golfing,
Don't forget that you can subscribe to my free 'Rhodes Rules School' weekly emails at this link.
The above content is strictly copyright to Barry Rhodes © 2018 and may not be copied without permission.
"It's got golfers talking around the globe. Here's our Ruling:
It's a very rare situation, but the R&A received a similar question 30 years ago. The answer given, which we would still apply, was as follows:
On the putting green, if the player's removal of a loose impediment causes the ball to move, the ball is replaced without penalty. As replacement of the ball would be impossible in this case, in equity (Rule 1-4), the ball is considered to be holed with the previous stroke."
New World Handicapping System
Unlike the Rules of Golf, which are unified across the world, there are currently a range of different handicapping systems used by national golfing bodies and I do not have any expertise in this area. I therefore welcome the news that the way golfers around the world will calculate their handicaps is set to be transformed by a new system developed by the USGA and The R&A, with key features designed to provide all golfers with a consistent measure of playing ability. The new World Handicap System will be implemented in 2020, one year after the modernised Rules of Golf are scheduled to come into operation, following an extensive review of systems administered by six of the existing handicapping authorities.
You can find out more about the main features of the new system at this USGA link.
Good golfing,
Don't forget that you can subscribe to my free 'Rhodes Rules School' weekly emails at this link.
The above content is strictly copyright to Barry Rhodes © 2018 and may not be copied without permission.