Accidentally hitting your ball on a practice swing.... whats the ruling?

jschauer Schauer Professional Champion
Go to Last Reply 90 Views 10 Replies 1 Like
I just played yesterday and was on a par 5. I hit a sweet drive down the left center of the fair way. Looking at 175 to the green... Hit a 7 iron into the greenside (right) bunker.......... Standing over my ball waggling my club taking practice swings I clip the top of my ball and it rolled forward like 3 inches. ............. Mind you it was a practice swing, not intentional. My playing partner said that a stroke. I'm not arguing that his ruling wasn't correct. Honestly I don't know what the ruling for that kind of situation is in the first place. So I played the ball from the new location taking the penalty and made a bogey. ...then I put the ball back and played it with out a penalty and ended up making par. >>> Before all of you say "WOAH you should have done this! Or That! You actually get penalized 57 & 1/2 strokes because you didn't play it properly either way. I just want to know.... simply... what is the ruling for this scenario? Please explain and thanks in advance for your help.
Goynes42 Professional Champion
# 1 5/9/2013 10:14:42 AM
http://www.usga.org/RulesFAQ/r..
Racer888 Legend
# 2 5/9/2013 10:26:17 AM
This is covered under 18-2/a ball moved by practice swing. It is not considered a stroke but you are penalized one stroke for moving a ball in play. Ball should have been replaced in original spot otherwise you get penalized another two strokes for playing from a wrong spot. The rule covering this part is 20-7 and is really long and there are several scenarios concerning serious breach. In your case it would have been just the two stroke penalty, which is covered by rule 1-4/12 (multiple penalties). In the end you should have been penalized two strokes.
bill321 Professional Champion
# 3 5/9/2013 11:35:45 AM
Find a new playing partner and enjoy your time on the course. Sheesh. It's not like this is the Masters, where every rule is painstakingly enforced no matter who the infraction punishes...oh...wait a minute...never mind.
Mark Simmons Legend
# 4 5/9/2013 3:20:33 PM
One more thought. This is one area where our game is different. In this case and many other rules the player's INTENT means everything. In this scenario (penalties aside) it wasn't a stroke because you didn't INTEND to make a stroke. Golf both assumes and requires personal integrity and in a big way the person swinging the club is both the player and the referee.
Mongo68 Legend
# 5 5/9/2013 5:25:17 PM
I had a similar situation while playing the Myrtle Beach World Am last year. I hit my tee shot into a bunker. When practicing my swing in the bunker, I was paying attention to the club head to be sure it didn't hit the lip of the buker in my swing. I unintentionally hit the ball while practicing a swing. As is instructed by the World Am rules. Play the ball in question but also play a 2nd ball through hole out so that whichever way the ruling goes, you're covered. When our group asked the pro, he explained and showed us in the rulebook that a stroke needed to be added to my score. In simple terms, the ball was in play and so you can't move or hit a ball in play, even if it wasn't intentional. The only place you can UNintentionally hit a ball without penalty is on the tee box because the ball has not been intentionally hit and put in to play. So when you address your ball on the tee and accidently knock it off the tee and your buddies say "one", you do not add a stroke to your score because the ball has not been hit intentionally into play.
gdkcj Legend
# 6 5/9/2013 10:18:31 PM
Find a new playing partner and enjoy your time on the course. Sheesh. It's not like this is the Masters, where every rule is painstakingly enforced no matter who the infraction punishes...oh...wait a minute...never mind. Too funny!
gdkcj Legend
# 7 5/9/2013 10:20:01 PM
One more thought. This is one area where our game is different. In this case and many other rules the player's INTENT means everything. In this scenario (penalties aside) it wasn't a stroke because you didn't INTEND to make a stroke. Golf both assumes and requires personal integrity and in a big way the person swinging the club is both the player and the referee. That is a good point.
gdkcj Legend
# 8 5/9/2013 10:28:16 PM
This is covered under 18-2/a ball moved by practice swing. It is not considered a stroke but you are penalized one stroke for moving a ball in play. Ball should have been replaced in original spot otherwise you get penalized another two strokes for playing from a wrong spot. The rule covering this part is 20-7 and is really long and there are several scenarios concerning serious breach. In your case it would have been just the two stroke penalty, which is covered by rule 1-4/12 (multiple penalties). In the end you should have been penalized two strokes. That is well versed.
gdkcj Legend
# 9 5/9/2013 10:31:30 PM
I had a similar situation while playing the Myrtle Beach World Am last year. I hit my tee shot into a bunker. When practicing my swing in the bunker, I was paying attention to the club head to be sure it didn't hit the lip of the buker in my swing. I unintentionally hit the ball while practicing a swing. As is instructed by the World Am rules. Play the ball in question but also play a 2nd ball through hole out so that whichever way the ruling goes, you're covered. When our group asked the pro, he explained and showed us in the rulebook that a stroke needed to be added to my score. In simple terms, the ball was in play and so you can't move or hit a ball in play, even if it wasn't intentional. The only place you can UNintentionally hit a ball without penalty is on the tee box because the ball has not been intentionally hit and put in to play. So when you address your ball on the tee and accidently knock it off the tee and your buddies say "one", you do not add a stroke to your score because the ball has not been hit intentionally into play. Good!
jschauer Schauer Professional Champion
# 10 5/10/2013 12:31:53 PM
I had a similar situation while playing the Myrtle Beach World Am last year. I hit my tee shot into a bunker. When practicing my swing in the bunker, I was paying attention to the club head to be sure it didn't hit the lip of the buker in my swing. I unintentionally hit the ball while practicing a swing. As is instructed by the World Am rules. Play the ball in question but also play a 2nd ball through hole out so that whichever way the ruling goes, you're covered. When our group asked the pro, he explained and showed us in the rulebook that a stroke needed to be added to my score. In simple terms, the ball was in play and so you can't move or hit a ball in play, even if it wasn't intentional. The only place you can UNintentionally hit a ball without penalty is on the tee box because the ball has not been intentionally hit and put in to play. So when you address your ball on the tee and accidently knock it off the tee and your buddies say "one", you do not add a stroke to your score because the ball has not been hit intentionally into play. Good! I'm gunna have to ask you to take a hike from this post. Your not helping us whatsoever Mr. GDKCJ ...

Professional Champion

90 Views 10 Replies 1 Like

I just played yesterday and was on a par 5.

I hit a sweet drive down the left center of the fair way.

Looking at 175 to the green...

Hit a 7 iron into the greenside (right) bunker..........

Standing over my ball waggling my club taking practice swings I clip the top of my ball and it rolled forward like 3 inches. ............. Mind you it was a practice swing, not intentional.

My playing partner said that a stroke. I'm not arguing that his ruling wasn't correct. Honestly I don't know what the ruling for that kind of situation is in the first place.

So I played the ball from the new location taking the penalty and made a bogey.

...then I put the ball back and played it with out a penalty and ended up making par.

>>> Before all of you say "WOAH you should have done this! Or That! You actually get penalized 57 & 1/2 strokes because you didn't play it properly either way.

I just want to know.... simply... what is the ruling for this scenario?

Please explain and thanks in advance for your help.

Goynes42

Professional Champion

# 1 5/9/2013 10:14:42 AM

http://www.usga.org/RulesFAQ/r..

Racer888

Legend

# 2 5/9/2013 10:26:17 AM

This is covered under 18-2/a ball moved by practice swing. It is not considered a stroke but you are penalized one stroke for moving a ball in play. Ball should have been replaced in original spot otherwise you get penalized another two strokes for playing from a wrong spot. The rule covering this part is 20-7 and is really long and there are several scenarios concerning serious breach. In your case it would have been just the two stroke penalty, which is covered by rule 1-4/12 (multiple penalties). In the end you should have been penalized two strokes.

bill321

Professional Champion

# 3 5/9/2013 11:35:45 AM

Find a new playing partner and enjoy your time on the course. Sheesh. It's not like this is the Masters, where every rule is painstakingly enforced no matter who the infraction punishes...oh...wait a minute...never mind.

Mark Simmons

Legend

# 4 5/9/2013 3:20:33 PM

One more thought. This is one area where our game is different. In this case and many other rules the player's INTENT means everything. In this scenario (penalties aside) it wasn't a stroke because you didn't INTEND to make a stroke. Golf both assumes and requires personal integrity and in a big way the person swinging the club is both the player and the referee.

Mongo68

Legend

# 5 5/9/2013 5:25:17 PM

I had a similar situation while playing the Myrtle Beach World Am last year. I hit my tee shot into a bunker. When practicing my swing in the bunker, I was paying attention to the club head to be sure it didn't hit the lip of the buker in my swing. I unintentionally hit the ball while practicing a swing.

As is instructed by the World Am rules. Play the ball in question but also play a 2nd ball through hole out so that whichever way the ruling goes, you're covered. When our group asked the pro, he explained and showed us in the rulebook that a stroke needed to be added to my score.

In simple terms, the ball was in play and so you can't move or hit a ball in play, even if it wasn't intentional. The only place you can UNintentionally hit a ball without penalty is on the tee box because the ball has not been intentionally hit and put in to play. So when you address your ball on the tee and accidently knock it off the tee and your buddies say "one", you do not add a stroke to your score because the ball has not been hit intentionally into play.

gdkcj

Legend

# 6 5/9/2013 10:18:31 PM

Find a new playing partner and enjoy your time on the course. Sheesh. It's not like this is the Masters, where every rule is painstakingly enforced no matter who the infraction punishes...oh...wait a minute...never mind.

Too funny!

gdkcj

Legend

# 7 5/9/2013 10:20:01 PM

One more thought. This is one area where our game is different. In this case and many other rules the player's INTENT means everything. In this scenario (penalties aside) it wasn't a stroke because you didn't INTEND to make a stroke. Golf both assumes and requires personal integrity and in a big way the person swinging the club is both the player and the referee.

That is a good point.

gdkcj

Legend

# 8 5/9/2013 10:28:16 PM

This is covered under 18-2/a ball moved by practice swing. It is not considered a stroke but you are penalized one stroke for moving a ball in play. Ball should have been replaced in original spot otherwise you get penalized another two strokes for playing from a wrong spot. The rule covering this part is 20-7 and is really long and there are several scenarios concerning serious breach. In your case it would have been just the two stroke penalty, which is covered by rule 1-4/12 (multiple penalties). In the end you should have been penalized two strokes.

That is well versed.

gdkcj

Legend

# 9 5/9/2013 10:31:30 PM

I had a similar situation while playing the Myrtle Beach World Am last year. I hit my tee shot into a bunker. When practicing my swing in the bunker, I was paying attention to the club head to be sure it didn't hit the lip of the buker in my swing. I unintentionally hit the ball while practicing a swing.

As is instructed by the World Am rules. Play the ball in question but also play a 2nd ball through hole out so that whichever way the ruling goes, you're covered. When our group asked the pro, he explained and showed us in the rulebook that a stroke needed to be added to my score.

In simple terms, the ball was in play and so you can't move or hit a ball in play, even if it wasn't intentional. The only place you can UNintentionally hit a ball without penalty is on the tee box because the ball has not been intentionally hit and put in to play. So when you address your ball on the tee and accidently knock it off the tee and your buddies say "one", you do not add a stroke to your score because the ball has not been hit intentionally into play.

Good!

jschauer Schauer

Professional Champion

# 10 5/10/2013 12:31:53 PM

I had a similar situation while playing the Myrtle Beach World Am last year. I hit my tee shot into a bunker. When practicing my swing in the bunker, I was paying attention to the club head to be sure it didn't hit the lip of the buker in my swing. I unintentionally hit the ball while practicing a swing.

As is instructed by the World Am rules. Play the ball in question but also play a 2nd ball through hole out so that whichever way the ruling goes, you're covered. When our group asked the pro, he explained and showed us in the rulebook that a stroke needed to be added to my score.

In simple terms, the ball was in play and so you can't move or hit a ball in play, even if it wasn't intentional. The only place you can UNintentionally hit a ball without penalty is on the tee box because the ball has not been intentionally hit and put in to play. So when you address your ball on the tee and accidently knock it off the tee and your buddies say "one", you do not add a stroke to your score because the ball has not been hit intentionally into play.

Good!

I'm gunna have to ask you to take a hike from this post.

Your not helping us whatsoever Mr. GDKCJ ...

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