Match play and the rules of golf
Golf Nut, if I am playing in a match play format and I have a rules violation, are both me and my partner penalized or can he still win the hole for us?
As is the case in many golf rules discussions, it depends. That response is why so many people don’t learn the rules of golf and just decide to take their golf clubs, play the course and have fun. That is a fun approach, but I encourage all golfers to learn the rules as best they can.
Most of the time, the penalty is only for the person who made the violation (in this case you). Your partner can still win the hole for your team.
But if your violation helps your partner or interferes with the ability of your competition to play the hole, both you and your golfing partner can be penalized.
I was playing a match and there were two others in our foursome who were playing a match against each other. One of the fellows in the other match had his golf ball on my line and closer to the hole than my ball. He asked where I would like him to mark his ball and I replied that he could mark it to the left, or putt out if he would like. He proceeded to putt out, thereby giving me a look at how my putt would break. Would this represent a violation of the rules of match play and if so, what would be the penalty?
Posted by: terry smith at October 19, 2006 01:59 PM« Pro Golfers Nicklaus and Palmer sit down on TV. | Main | New golf training aid? »
