Advanced Rules of Golf meets every Wednesday, and during each class, we complete a Rules Puzzle. Here is this week’s puzzle:
Ok = Permitted by the Rules
Not Ok = Not permitted by the Rules
Q1: A player in a stroke play event event asks his fellow-competitor the distance from the teeing ground to clear a fairway bunker.
A1: Ok – Information on the Rules, distance or matter of public information, such as the position of hazards or the flagstick on the putting green, is not advice (Definition: Advice).
Q2: While a ball is in motion after a stroke, a player moves a fellow-competitor’s club or golf bag to prevent the ball from striking the fellow-competitor’s equipment.
A2: Ok – Rule 1-2. Exerting Influence on Movement of Ball or Altering Physical Conditions.
Q3: A player’s ball lands in a bunker. The player rakes his footprints in the bunker on the way to his ball, being careful not to improve his lie, area of stance or line of play for his next stroke.
A3: Ok – An action taken for the sole purpose of caring for the course is not a breach of Rule 1-2.
Q4: A player plays a stroke at his ball in a bunker and advances the ball ten yards to another spot in the same bunker. He smooths the sand in the area where he played with his club.
A4: Ok – Again, an action taken for the sole purpose of caring for the course is not a breach of Rule 1-2.