Golf Rule Question?

Question

This came up when me and my buddies were playing last Sunday , As we were walking down the fairway next to the course driving range my buddy decided to hit a few balls back into the range and I told him he is lucky that we are not playing skins or a serious stroke play round because doing what he did just automatically lost him the hole , I explained to him that it is not allowed to actually hit or practice hiitng balls during a round that will cost you that hole , he did not believe me then we asked the Marshall and he confirmed what I told him , but my question is when someone breaks this rule and they lose the hole what do you put on the scorecard and how do you come up with a score for that round for that person who broke that rule ?

Actually according to the USGA you lose the hole either in Stroke Play or Skins but how do you score it ?

Answer 1

The USGA not only sets the rules of golf, but provides practical "case law" interpretation of them too. These interpretations are set out in a publication known as "USGA Decisions on the Rules of Golf."

Decison 7-2/5 addresses the situation you describe and reads as follows: "During play of a hole, a player saw some balls from the adjoining practice range lying on the course and flicked one back to the range with his club. Is there a penalty under Rule 7-2?

Ans: In some circumstances the hitting of a practice range ball back towards the range during the play of a hole would be a breach of Rule 7-2, but the casual flicking of a range ball, apparently only for the purpose of tidying up the course, is not a breach."

Therefore, in your case, it is a question of fact whether your friend was intending to "practice" or just innocently flicking a few balls back to the range. If his actions were intended to be practicing, he would be charged two strokes for each act of practicing.

What defines a single act of practicing is another question of fact that a rules official would need to determine at the time of the rules infraction. An act of practicing could be interpretted by the rules official as a seperate act for each ball struck back to the range and thus two strokes for each ball struck; or one act of practicing defined by hitting multiple balls back to the range. Such factors as the time between each ball being hit, where during play of the hole or match the hitting takes place, etc.

For example, if your friend hit a number of balls one after the other, in about the same location on the hole being played, it is probably one act of practicing. On the other hand, if he hits a few balls by the tee, walks down the fairway and hits a few more, plays the next hole and hits some more, it is more likely the time and distance between each act of hitting would be considered seperate acts of practicing and more likely to be subject to seperate multiple 2 stroke penalties.

Answer 2

The sites below says it is a two stroke penalty.

However, is it a two stroke penalty per practice ball hit or is it a maximum two stroke penalty per hole no matter how many practice balls were whacked back into the range?

Answer 3

For skin play its just a lost. For stroke play i would say its a penalty stroke for each extra shot he took.

Answer 4

Match Play and Skins, they just lose the hole.

Stroke Play, I'm guessing here, just what the other guy said, one stroke for each shot.