Match play or stroke play?

Edited By Ron Kaspriske
Illustrations By Jameson Simpson April 2008

1. Player A is in the fairway closer to the hole than Player B and hits a shot out of turn. Player B makes Player A cancel that stroke and replay the shot after Player B hits.

2. Player A turns in a scorecard, signed and attested, that has a "4" marked for the 18th hole when it should have been a "5." Consequently, Player A is disqualified.

3. Player A thinks a golfer from another group picked up his ball but is not sure. So he notifies Player B of the problem and plays two balls: one from the spot of the lost ball, the other from the previous spot. Player A is penalized for proceeding incorrectly.

4. Player A has a two-inch putt for par. Player B says, "It's good," and Player A rakes it, goes to the next hole and hits the tee shot. Player A is then disqualified.

5. Player A shanks a fairway shot, and the ball hits Player B's golf bag and rolls into a bunker. Player A has no choice but to play the next shot from the sand.

6. Player A decides to chip a few balls onto the 18th green by the clubhouse while waiting for the competition to begin. Player A is then disqualified.

7. While waiting for his partner to hit on the other side of the fairway, Player A accidentally kicks Player B's golf ball. Player B replaces the ball and plays on. Player A is not penalized.

8. Player A tees his ball a couple of inches in front of the tee markers and rips one down the fairway. Player A is given a two-stroke penalty and has to replay the shot from inside the teeing ground.

ANSWER KEY

1. Match play (Rule 10). If he wishes, Player B does not have to make Player A hit the shot again. In stroke play, Player B can't make him replay the shot.

2. Stroke play (Rule 6-6). Scorecard keeping in match play is not necessary.

3. Match play (Decision 3-3/9). In stroke play (Rule 3-3), if you don't know how to proceed, you can play two balls on a hole and let the Committee determine which ball will count. In match play, a player who has doubt about how to proceed should proceed in the manner he believes is appropriate. If his opponent objects, he can make a claim and obtain a ruling from the Committee.

4. Stroke play (Rule 3-2). In match play, a player's next shot can be conceded as holed by the opponent.

5. Stroke play (Rule 19-1). In match play, striking an opponent, his caddie or equipment comes with two options: Play the ball from its new position, or cancel and replay the previous shot from as near as possible to the original spot. There is no penalty if a player's ball strikes a fellow-competitor in stroke play or an opponent in match play.

6. Stroke play (Rule 7-1b). In match play, players can practice on the competition course before the round.

7. Stroke play (Rule 18-4). In match play, if a player moves an opponent's ball, except during a search, the player receives a one-shot penalty. In either format, the ball must be replaced.

8. Stroke play (Rule 11-4b). There is no penalty for playing outside the teeing ground in match play. However, Player A's opponent can make Player A cancel and replay the shot inside the teeing ground.