As a golf professional, I have been a witness to some complete misunderstandings of the rules of the game and rules for posting scores. Unfortunately, it happens more often than it should. It happens mostly because players misunderstand the rules. More of us would read the rules book if it was interesting. Since it is not and we don’t have multiple rules officials on call to resolve questions, below are a couple of common player oversights.
PENALTY AREAS The first area to cover would be penalty areas. A penalty area is an area on the golf course where a ball is often lost or difficult to play from where a player can take relief with a one-stroke penalty. Examples of penalty areas at Grandezza are the palmettos along the side of the course and the ponds on the property. Relief is to be taken outside these areas in line with the hole from where the ball entered the area when the player opts to take relief. We have seen and heard that players are taking their relief adjacent from where the ball has come to rest not from where it entered the penalty area. These areas are designed for water retention. After heavy rains or during periods of precipitation, these areas will have standing water. Standing water in a penalty area is not casual water and relief without penalty is not allowed. In the drier months of the years, roots and other plants can make the lie in the penalty area unplayable. However, an unplayable lie doesn’t exist in a penalty area. Players must take the appropriate relief outside the area in line with the hole from where the ball entered the area incurring the one-stroke penalty. For more information on following proper procedures refer to Rule 17 in the rules of golf.
POSTING A MAX SCORE FOR HANDICAP PURPOSES The second area would be posting a max score for handicap purposes. When the World Handicap System was developed to streamline golf across the world, the way a player recorded their maximum score for posting was changed. Each hole has handicap ranking that is established by reviewing the difference in scores from scratch golfers and bogey golfers (players with indexes of 21 to 25). The greater the spread of scores, the lower the handicap rating of the hole (meaning it is more challenging). Each player has course handicap that is calculated from their index, the slope, and course rating of the course they are playing. This establishes a way for them to compete against other golfers with different skill levels.,This number determines just how,many shots above par a player is allowed to post for handicapping. A player is allowed post par plus two shots plus handicap for the hole being played. Example: Hole 1 at Grandezza is the 13th handicap hole for the men. So, a player with a 13-handicap max score is 7 for posting purposes (4 (Par) + 2 + 1 (Handicap).
Hopefully this will help players better calculate their scores and accurately follow the rules. Please remember to post your scores the day the round is played. It helps to properly calculate the playing difficulty for the day.
See you on the course!
