Common Golf Mishaps and the Penalties You Incur
If you are new to golf, you will want to learn the common mishaps that take place on the green, and the penalties for such.
One of the absolute “no no’s” of the golf world is to carry more golf clubs on the field than allowed. You are allowed 14 different clubs in both Match Play golf and Stroke Play golf. The penalty in Match Play is a loss of hole for each hole during which the violation took place. The max penalty is two holes in this case. In stroke play the penalty is two strokes for each hole, up to four strokes.
Another major breech on the green is recording a false score. There is a penalty for signing a scorecard that includes scores, which are lower than actually recorded. This penalty is disqualification. There is no penalty for signing a scorecard that contains a score higher than what a person receives, but the golfer will be disadvantaged because this high score will stand. Remember, in golf the lower score wins.
A socially impolite gesture on the green is playing out of turn. You will not receive a penalty for this, but the people on your team may show their disapproval. In addition, your competitor can call you on it and make you re-do the play when it is your turn.
Another illegal move on the green includes grounding the club in a hazard. Those who do this will receive a two-stroke penalty. This involves taking any action that will improve game play, such as touching the ball, or moving any obstruction. The one exception is to identify a ball, and even then a person has to be careful. Usually in Stroke Play the golf penalty is one or two strokes, depending upon the exact violation. In Match Play the penalty is usually the loss of a hole.
Another common error in golf is hitting an unattended flagstick with a putt. For this violation you will receive a two-stroke penalty or a loss of a hole, depending upon which round of golf you are playing. Another common wrongdoing in golf is to move your ball from the spot where it lands. This is usually a one-stroke penalty, and the ball is brought back to its original spot.
Another penalty that can be received is a one-stroke penalty for a ball that moves after a loose obstruction is removed. In addition, the ball is returned to its original spot before the impediment was removed.
Another situation where you may need to take a penalty-usually unavoidable-is when playing a ball in a water hazard. In some cases you can opt to take a penalty to drop the ball in a more convenient location. Otherwise you would just take your best shot without trying to move the ball, and see if you can avoid the penalty. It is possible, but takes quite a bit of practice. The best thing in this case would be to try not hitting the ball into the water hazard in the first place.
When a ball is lost or goes out of bounds you would take a stroke plus distance penalty. Usually it is one stroke and then you return to the original spot of ball play to re-do the shot. You may also just opt to have the ball replace and not worry about looking for the other one. This is often unavoidable, such as is receiving penalties for water hazards.
Another option that may be considered, that is not necessarily an illegal move, is to declare a ball unplayable. Balls can be declared unplayable almost anywhere except in a water hazard. The penalty is usually one stroke and a new ball drop in close vicinity of the old one. It is up to you to make the determination in this case.
Obviously some of these for which you receive penalties are more of a wrongdoing than are others. Some are more serious wrongdoings than others as well. It is all a matter of personal judgment when you play golf. Sometimes, if you are frustrated it may be actually wise to suffer the consequences so you can move on to the next hole, or re-play a lousy shot.
In most cases, all of the above are not going to disqualify you from a game, except for the one in which you cheat on your score sheet. The other thing you will need to know is the better you become at playing golf the better you are at avoiding all penalties, no matter now minor the offense.
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