Ask the Ref: One shot, two golf balls
You hit your ball out of heather but two balls appear. Is a penalty incurred? Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains all. Another competitor identifies her ball in the heather at the back of the green and takes a shot. Following her swing, two balls landed on the green. She’s clearly made […]
Ask the Ref: Do you have to use a putter on the green?
Is there are golf rule to say you can only use a putter on the green? Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains all. Are golfers allowed to use a club other than a putter when playing a shot on the green, or are they restricted to only using a putter in this […]
Ask the Ref: Who can declare a golf ball unplayable?
Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains who can declare a ball unplayable. In a stroke play competition, Player A’s ball comes to rest in a patch of thick heather. Upon assessing the situation, Player A declares her ball unplayable. However, Player B, observing the lie, disagrees and argues that the ball isn’t […]
Ask the Ref: Can I remove sand that is not on the green?
You want to putt from off the green but there is sand in your way, can you remove without penalty? Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains. My ball has come to rest on the closely mown area between a bunker and the putting green. I would prefer to putt from this position, as […]
Ask the Ref: Could rolling a ball back to me across the green be seen as testing the surface?
Could the following situation be seen as cheating? Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains. I recently played in a stableford competition, and my ball landed on the green between the pin and another player’s ball. As I couldn’t score, I asked her to remove my ball because it would be in the way […]
Ask the Ref: Could I be penalised for raking a bunker?
Could this scenario where a player rakes a bunker end up with them being penalised? Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains. My ball lies at one end of a bunker. Whilst waiting for another player to play their stroke, I entered the opposite end of the bunker to retrieve the rake. On […]
Ask the Ref: Can you tap down spike marks on the green?
Your playing partner taps down spike marks on the green before putting, is that allowed? Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains. By Sheila Waltham During a match, Player A taps down spike marks on the putting green along the line of their putt. Is this allowed? Yes. This rule changed in 2019. A […]
Ask the Ref: What do you do in a dried up penalty area?
Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains all about what happens when your ball ends up in a dried-up penalty area. If a ball lands in a dried-up penalty area, is it still deemed to be a penalty area? By definition, a Penalty Area (PA) is any body of water on the course (marked […]
Ask the Ref: What do you do if your ball lands off the green on the apron behind a sprinkler head?
Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains all about what happens when your ball ends up behind a sprinkler head If my ball lands off the green on the apron behind a sprinkler head and my preferred next shot onto the green is a putt, am I allowed relief from the sprinkler head? That […]
This Clever Use of a Golf Rule Could Save You a Stroke (and Some Embarrassment)
A USGA video is turning heads with a little-known relief option that’s gaining millions of views Ever putted off the green into a bunker? You’re not alone—and thanks to a viral rules tip from the USGA, you might not have to suffer the full consequences next time. A recent Instagram post by the USGA shared […]