08-17-08 Quiz:

Q: Stan and his pals are choping it around in their regular foursome.  After holing his putt on the 2nd green the ever observant Stan notices a ragged edge on the lip of the hole.  Before the rest of his mates putt out, Stan pats and smooths the ragged edge with his hand and repairs the imperfections.  A nice gesture to be sure but whoa big fella.  Since the repair was done prior to his pals putting out, does Stan get stung?

A. This seems a difficult rule to enforce, but in fact the outcome rests completely with Stan's intentions.  If Stan was simply being courteous, which seems likely, there is no penalty just a tip of the cap from his buddies for showing a little etiquette.  On the other hand if Stan's intent was to alter the condition of the hole to either help his partner or hinder his opponent, then sorry Stan, you lose the hole or incur a 2-stroke penalty depending on the format. (rule 1-2) and (rule 16-1a) Only 11% of you knew the correct answer

07-22-08 Quiz:

Q: Bill removes the flagstick, lays it on the green and then hits his putt.  Ted, believing that Bill's ball will roll into the flagstick, picks it up allowing Bill's ball to roll beyond where the stick had lain.  Any problem here?

A. Ted incurs a 2-stroke penalty (or loss of hole in match play) for removing an obstruction which may have influenced the movement of Bill's ball.  Since Ted moved the flag while Bill's ball was already in motion, Ted gets whacked. Rule 1-2 or 24-1  Under 17% of you knew to punish Ted!

07-09-08 Quiz:

Q.  Jack and Joe are paired together in a stroke play event.  Jack snipes a tee shot that nestles under a tree.  If that were'nt enough, his punishment is completed by the annoyance of a partially detached branch hanging in his way.  Jack thinks he gets free relief but honorable golfer that he is, he calls for an official.  Turns out Joe can't keep his yap shut and enters the discussion.  The conversation got animated (Joe talks with his hands) and Joe inadvertently knocks the afore mentioned branch either out of, or further into Jacks way.  Ooops.... So now what?

A. Since Joe's spasmodic episode with the tree branch was not intentional, no penalty is incurred.  Jack can replace the branch to its original position if he wants, be he's not obligated to do so. 60% of you got this answer correct

06-28-08 Quiz

Q:  Weekend hacker Todd, hits an approach to an elevated green.  After an exhaustive search he can't find his ball so he takes his drop and completes the hole.  He then discovers that his original ball is in the hole.  So what's the deal?

A:  "Write me down for a 2" says Todd.  The score on his original ball counts as the hole was completed as soon as he holed that ball.  31% of our visitors gave Todd his duece

06-24-08 Quiz: 

Q:  Bill and Bob, being the clever types that they are, just finished hitting their approach shots to the 8th hole.  Due to the location of the 9th tee box, they can save some time and avoid climbing a steep hill if they just tee off on 9 before they go putt out on the 8th green.  What do you think, penalty or pat on the back?

A:  Bill and Bob are both disqualified.  In match play they violated rule 2-1 by failing to play the stipulated round.  In stroke play they showed blatant disregard for rule 3-2 by failing to hole out on the previous hole before making a stroke on the next.  26% of you knew this answer