Things you CAN do on a golf course

Barry Rhodes is a golf rules guru. No question.

In March 2008, Barry became the first person to achieve a 100% correct mark on the public Advanced Rules of Golf Course examination, run by the PGA in their headquarters at The Belfry, West Midlands, UK.

We’ll check in with Barry from time to time to get the absolute rulings on different scenarios you may encounter on the golf course.

In the meantime, I’d like to present to you a list Barry published a few weeks on things you CAN do on a golf course.

Under the Rules of Golf you may;

1. Have a flagstick attended even when your ball is in a bunker, or on the apron of the green – Rule 17-1.
2. Look into someone’s golf bag to identify which club they are using for their stroke – Decision 8-1/10.
3. Use the back, or the toe, of the clubhead to strike the ball – Decision 14-1/1.
4. Ask anyone the distance from any point A to any point B – Information on distance is not advice, Definition of Advice.
5. Ground your club on a bridge situated in a water hazard – Decision 13-4/30.
6. Lay a club, or clubs, in a bunker before you make a stroke at your ball lying in that bunker – Exception 1(b) to Rule 13-4.
7. Wrap a towel or handkerchief around the grip to assist in gripping your club on a wet day – Rule 14-3c.
8. Replace your ball where it was, under penalty of one stroke, when you have just putted past the hole and into a bunker – Rule 27-1a.
9. Use the toe of your putter to mark your ball – Decision 20-1/16.

This article was written by Barry Rhodes, author of the book ‘999 Questions on the Rules of Golf’ who blogs on miscellaneous content on the Rules of Golf at http://www.barryrhodes.com.