Range finder

Practice doesn’t make perfect during a delay in play

Dear North Shore Golf:
This is my first year as a member at a local club. As the tee time for my first-ever club tournament approached, I kept reminding myself that this wasn’t going to be the normal casual round of golf with my buddies. I had to be careful not to break any rules.
I was in the midst of a heated match play contest. On the 13th hole, play was backed up a bit so my competitor and I were standing in the middle of the fairway waiting for the group ahead of us to finish up on the green. The 13th fairway runs parallel with the driving range at my course and I noticed a couple range balls had made their way onto the fairway. Not thinking I was doing anything wrong, I walked over to the range balls and hit them back onto the range with my 5-iron.
As soon as I hit the second range ball, the guy I was playing against came over and told me that I was breaking a rule by taking a practice stroke during a round. I thought he was crazy, but he insisted that I had broken a rule, especially on the second swing when I took my time, lined it up and took a decent swing at it. He said that he wasn’t going to enforce the rule, but that I should think about it the next time I thought about hitting a ball back to the range during a tournament.
I went on to win the match 3-and-2, but this guy hasn’t let me forget that he could have easily enforced the rule on the 13th and taken that hole. I’ve checked with a few people about this rule to see if it’s legit and I keep getting different opinions.
Does this guy have a gripe?
Sincerely,
C.L., Andover, Mass.

North Shore Golf asked Tewksbury CC head pro Mike Rogers for a ruling:

Greetings C.L. and welcome to the world of competitive golf! 

The answer to your question can be found in Rule 7-2, page 32, of the 2004-2005 USGA Rules of Golf. The rule simply and clearly states that, “A player must not make a practice stroke during play of a hole.” The definition of a stroke is, “the forward movement of the club made with the intention of striking at and moving the ball.” Without question your lining up and taking a decent swing at the ball would constitute a practice stroke. The penalty in match play would be loss of hole.

If you had simply been casually flicking the balls back onto the range with the intention of tidying up the course you would not have been in violation of Rule 7-2. But you did say that on the second shot you actually lined it up. That sounds like a practice stroke to me. You can find a mention of this in the 2004-2005 USGA Decision on the Rules of Golf referencing Rule 7-2/5, page 109.

There is one more thing to mention here. Because you were playing match play, your opponent does have the option to not enforce your violation. In a stroke play situation a competitor has an obligation to “protect the field.” In other words ensure that all rules are followed and each player entered in the event is playing on equitable terms. In match play, if a competitor wishes to file a claim against an opponent there are three things he must notify them of: 1) that he is making a claim, 2) the facts of the situation, and 3) that he wants to obtain a ruling (Rule 2-5).   

I’m sure this is a mistake you will never make again. Best of luck in future competitions, and remember, it pays to know the rules!