Unexpected tree deflection can lead to various rules of interest.
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There are no stupid questions, but there are strange questions.
Just ask the people at USGA. Every year, governing bodies receive thousands of questions from the public about the rules of golf. While many questions involve common situations (lost balls, embedded lies, etc.), others fall into the wilderness realm.
How wild? Judge for yourself.
This is the weirdest rule that USGA has proposed in 2024.
(At the same time, if you want to improve your knowledge of the rules, try USGA’s online course. Complete it will give you the information you need to browse most of the situations that may appear in the round, which is a great way to prepare for future seasons.)
1. Smoke Signal Ruling
There are many ways to judge the wind. You can throw grass. You can stare at trees or flags in the distance. But what about studying cigarettes? The question – or a quirky replacement – comes from a golfer who notices his partner is scrutinizing the smoky trail of his lit cigarettes. The golfer then asked his partner if he could smoke so he could do the same.
“He knew I didn’t smoke,” the person asked by the golfer wrote. “He said, because I don’t smoke, it’s illegal for me to smoke while the smoker, and he can look at the smoke. Is this true?”
Ah, the defense of addiction. Interesting but not effective. Any player who uses smoke to determine the direction of the wind is violated. Fascinated by nicotine is not a valid excuse. But, just observe smoke from another source, such as a chimney or another player who smokes? That’s a different story. You can do it. As long as you don’t create smoke yourself to measure wind, you won’t break the rules.
In short, cigarettes are harmful to your health. And their smoke isn’t suitable for your game either.
2. Double Danger Ruling
Time was the time when I accidentally hit the ball twice during a stroke (remember TC Chen at the 1985 U.S. Open?). But this changes with the modernization of the rules. Now, there is no fine. You just have to count one stroke and you’ll play the ball. But what about this situation?
“A player is shooting,” another golfer asked. “The ball hit a tree and he waved the club – possibly a defensive measure – to hit the ball again.”
In golf, there is no such thing as “self-defense rules”. But there is no fine in this case. The player accidentally deflected the ball.
3. rule
They say the trees are 90% air, but surprisingly they get in the way of one. What happened next was anyone’s guess. The guy hit a tree and the ball bounced straight towards him. Instead of swaying it, he caught it instinctively. He happened to stand in a rough place. What is now?
USGA CEO Mike Whan took the Rules Exam. Progress is not going well
Answer: This is an unexpected deflection, and since it is now considered a player “on” the player, the player has the right to put the ball within a club length within a club length where he grabs the ball, no fines, no closer to the hole. If that club’s length happens to take him from the rough fairway to the fairway or other more friendly lies, it’s lucky.
4. Bounce Judgment
Philosophical question: If one ball falls into the cup and no one takes it out, and the other ball falls into the cup, but since the other ball already there has bounced out, what is the domination?
Think about it, this is not a philosophical question. This is a hypothetical question, raised by golfers. The good news is that there will be no punishment. The bad news is that the bounced ball must play like a lie.
5 real Dangerous animal rulings
Rule 16.2 provides free relief from the so-called “dangerous animal condition” that can occur when dangerous animals ” (such as venomous snakes or alligator skins near the ball) that can cause serious bodily harm if you have to play while the ball.”
But what if the dangerous animal is an angry homeowner wielding a knife and warning you to stay away from the situation?
“Besides calling the police, I think relief is allowed, but to clarify,” another golfer wrote before painting a darker situation: What if it was a gun rather than a knife? Since the length of the two clubs won’t lift you out of danger, can you relax all the way to the fairway? ”
We hope there is a simple answer. Alas, according to USGA, “The golf rules do not cover this situation.”
Josh Sens
Golf.comEdit
Josh Sens is a golf, food and travel writer who has been a golf magazine contributor since 2004 and now contributes to all the golf platforms. His work is concentrated in the best sports roles in the United States. He is also a co-author of Sammy Hagar, and we had fun: Cooking and Party Manuals.
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