Rules Guy: I hit my ball to the edge of the cup. How long can I wait for it to fall in?
When your ball ends up on the edge of the cup, how long do you get to wait for it to fall in? Rules Guy has the answer.
The post Rules Guy: I hit my ball to the edge of the cup. How long can I wait for it to fall in? appeared first on Golf.
When your ball ends up on the edge of the cup, how long do you get to wait for it to fall in? Rules Guy has the answer.
The post Rules Guy: I hit my ball to the edge of the cup. How long can I wait for it to fall in? appeared first on Golf.
The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thankfully, we’ve got the guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Got a question? He’s got all the answers.
Jack hits his approach to the very edge of the cup, while his playing partners all miss the putting surface. He checks on his ball but doesn’t mark it until the others are on the green, hoping it will fall in during the extended wait. Is this allowed? – Daryl Laumann, via email
By “very edge of the cup,” presumably you mean the ball is overhanging the edge. In this case, Jack gets a reasonable time to reach the ball, from however far away that might be, and then 10 seconds maximum to see if it will fall in — whether the other players have reached the green or not. (Clarification 13.3a/1 highlights the meaning of “reasonable time.”)
If it falls in within that 10-second period, fabulous! If not, the outcome is going to be the same regardless of what transpires next. If it falls in after that 10-second period, the ball is considered holed with the previous stroke, but one penalty stroke is added to the score. If Jack marks it, then replaces it and it falls in (regardless of time), he must replace the ball and tap it in. Or Jack just taps it in already, without marking!
For more edge-related guidance from our guru, read on …
I was the first person in my foursome to putt. After holing out, I fixed the edge of the cup that someone had dinged with the flag. Another member of the group said I can’t do so until everyone in the foursome has finished putting. Is that true? – Betsy Walden, via email
It is, Betsy, both untrue and contrary to the spirit of our great game.
Under Rule 13.1c, damage to the hole may be repaired before or after players putt. Please, just don’t do it during a putt if there is intent to influence a ball in motion, which would fall afoul of Rule 11.3 and get you the general penalty of two strokes in stroke play and loss of hole in match play.
You don’t want to get dinged yourself, despite good intentions.
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Got a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your queries, confusions and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he won’t throw the book at you.
The post Rules Guy: I hit my ball to the edge of the cup. How long can I wait for it to fall in? appeared first on Golf.
