Golf Rule Question

[usedto]

I was watching the golf tournament where leader Sun-Ju Ahn was assessed a two stroke penalty for a violation of rule 13-3/3 - building a stance. She was in a bunker, her ball was on the upslope, and she moved sand with her feet to help her stance. According to the rule, I understand the penalty.

However, I constantly see golfers who are in the bunker wiggle their feet from side to side to even the sand while preparing for the shot. Isn't that the same thing? How come no penalty? I just watched an LPGA golfer shuffle her feet in the sand of a bunker just before hitting the ball, yet nothing was said. What gives?

 

[whoaru99]

Probably be a bit tough to say without seeing actual video. But, I could see where wiggling one's feet and the sand naturally displacing being different than, say, using your foot like a tool to purposely move the sand to a specific formation.

 

[usedto]

Probably be a bit tough to say without seeing actual video. But, I could see where wiggling one's feet and the sand naturally displacing being different than, say, using your foot like a tool to purposely move the sand to a specific formation.

And that's exactly what happened - she obviously made a major sand movement. Nonetheless, the rule doesn't seem to differentiate between the two. That's why I'm curious. I'm sure one of the forum's rules gurus will chime in.

 

[whoaru99]

The rule is very simply written...

A player is entitled to place his feet firmly in taking his stance, but he must not build a stance.

If you intentionally dig/move sand other than natural displacement it could be called. Clearly the rule doesn't give any exact amount, nor would it be practical to.

 

[usedto]

I read the rule. I understand that. I guess it's just a judgement call.

 

[Renegade]

The rule is very simply written...

A player is entitled to place his feet firmly in taking his stance, but he must not build a stance.

If you intentionally dig/move sand other than natural displacement it could be called. Clearly the rule doesn't give any exact amount, nor would it be practical to.

yeah that ^^^^^

 

[whoaru99]

Since there is no exact specification, sure, it could be considered judgement. From a practical matter though it strikes me as not particularly difficult to see if someone is simply settling into their stance vs. landscaping the bunker, green, etc.

 

[usedto]

And as a practical matter, a person who merely steps into the bunker, hits his ball without any "adjustments", might think otherwise.

Like I said, it's a vague rule and a judgement call.

 

[whoaru99]

It's easy to make things harder than they are. Happens frequently.

A bunch of beginning golfers probably aren't too concerned with the nuances of the rule. Professionals, OTOH, should have an understanding by that point what flies and what doesn't.

 

[Wolverine]

I'm not a golf expert but I think the key here is the term "build a stance". In the situation you describe the difficulty of the shot is partly based on the fact that one or both of her feet are below the ball and by adding the sand a golfer could significantly change their relationship to the ball and in sense with enough sand could even eliminate the upslope in terms of the relationship between their feet and the ball. A golfer wiggling their feet into the sand are not IMO changing their relationship to the ball in the same way.

 

[whoaru99]

Right, if moving your feet around doesn't materially alter the relationship no biggie. However, if the movement of the ground improves your relationship/gives better angle/advantage to the ball/stroke then you're guilty. Falls back to the basics of playing the ball where and how it lies.

 

[luvvinvinyl]

. In 1987, at Torrey Pines, Craig Stadler found his ball lying under a tree. There was no grass there, and he was wearing powder blue trousers. He placed a towel on the ground to keep from getting dirt on his pants, and was assessed a two-stroke penalty under RoG 13-3, which states: A player is entitled to place his feet firmly in taking his stance, but he must not build a stance. The penalty was assessed after he signed his card for the round, so he was DQ'd for signing an incorrect card. Eight years later, the course invited him to come back to the course, to cut down the tree, when the course management decided to remove it.

The OP's question is relative to the action of "digging in", in a bunker. That is considered "taking a firm stance", especially given the fact that the bunkers are carefully groomed, and the sand raked up, before beginning play in a PGA tournament. The 'digging in' is to make contact with compacted sand, rather than trying to hold one's footing on fluffed sand.

 

[luvvinvinyl]

Not many Rules of Golf, but the accompanying Decisions number in the thousands. That is where a Rules Committee finds precedents, and clarification for the decided lack of specificity in the rules.