Ask the Ref: What do the different coloured stakes mean on a golf course
What do the different coloured stakes mean on a golf course and can you move them? Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains all. By Sheila Waltham My ball was lying in a Penalty Area, but there was a red stake in my way. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to move it. […]
Ask the Ref: A fallen tree branch is interfering with my swing, what do I do?
High winds and stormy weather have brought down trees and branches, what do you do if one is interfering with your golf swing? Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains all. Following the recent high winds, a large branch had detached and fallen from a tree. Part of it was interfering with my […]
Ask the Ref: Holding an umbrella on the green
Can you putt on the green whilst holding your umbrella? Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains all. I recently played in a match when the heavens opened. My opponent had been using an umbrella and, having hit her ball very close to the hole, walked onto the green holding the umbrella and her […]
Ask the Ref: Where should you leave a bunker rake?
Should a bunker rake be left inside or outside the bunker after it’s raked? Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains all. Should a rake be left inside or outside the bunker after it’s been raked? There is no Rule of Golf governing the position of rakes in bunkers, it is a […]
Ask the Ref: Declaring a ball unplayable which turns out not to be yours
What happens if you declare a golf ball unplayable and then find out it wasn’t yours in the first place? Women & Golf’s rules expert Sheila Waltham explains all. A player tees off and her shot heads into an area of dense shrubbery. She walks forward, finds a ball she thinks is hers, declares […]
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 […]