Part One: Rules of Golf....

Today’s Post is part one of discussing the most common rules of golf.  This is a refresher for you avid golfers and a breakdown of the rules for you beginners to hopefully make them less overwhelming.

1. Giving advice on the course:

You cannot ask what club a fellow-competitor or opponent used, or tell anyone how to execute a swing. You can ask your partner what club she used.
You cannot ask how far it is from your ball (but you can ask what the yardage is from a permanent marker that is public knowledge).
You cannot ask if your ball is playable if someone finds a lost ball for you (but you can ask for Rules of Golf information on what your options are for an unplayable lie).

2. Grounding a club in a hazard:

Before hitting a ball out of a bunker or water hazard, you are prohibited from touching the ground in the hazard with your club or hand, even when setting up to the ball. You may not touch or move any loose impediments (such as rocks or leaves), nor test the condition of the sand before hitting.

3. Where to play a ball which is in a water hazard:

You cannot drop a ball along the imaginary line known as the “line of flight.”
For a regular water hazard, marked with yellow stakes or lines, there are three options: 1) play the ball as it lies; or, under penalty of one stroke, 2) play another ball from where the original ball was struck into the hazard; or 3)drop behind the hazard, keeping the point where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard between the hole and the spot on which the ball is dropped.
For a lateral water hazard, marked with red stakes or lines, there are five options, the first three are the same as for a regular hazard. The other two options are also under penalty of one stroke, 4) drop 2 club lengths from the point of entry into the hazard; or 5) drop 2 club lengths from point on the opposite margin, equidistant from the hole.

4. Improving your lie or position by moving growing things:

You cannot improve the position or lie of your ball, the area of your intended swing, or your line of play by moving or bending anything growing or fixed, or moving or pressing anything down with your club or foot, unless you are taking your stance or actually making a stroke.