August - 2013

This just happened to me the other day. I hit a great putt that should have gone in and watched as the ball teetered on the lip, teasing me that is was so close, yet so far- (from falling in). One person I was playing with started to yell "jump! jump!" "Maybe it will fall in!" Which got me thinking how big a penalty that act would be…

Under Rule 1, Exerting influence on movement of ball or altering physical conditions, jumping up and down can be a costly mistake.

RULE 1-2/4

Player Jumps Close to Hole to Cause Ball to Fall into Hole
Q.A player whose ball overhangs the lip of the hole jumps close to the hole in the hope of jarring the ground and causing the ball to fall into the hole. Is the player penalized under Rule 1-2 for trying to exert influence on the movement of his ball in play?

A.If the player's ball was at rest (or deemed to be at rest under Rule 16-2) and does not move, Rule 1-2 does not apply because the player was attempting to move a ball at rest and this is specifically covered by Rule 18-2a (see Exception 1 to Rule 1-2). As the ball did not move, there was no penalty under Rule 18-2a

If the player's ball was still moving when the player jumped, Rule 1-2 was the applicable Rule because the player took an action with the intent to influence the movement of the ball. In match play, he lost the hole. In stroke play, he incurred a penalty of two strokes and must play the ball from where it came to rest; if the ball was holed, the player completed play of the hole with his last stroke and must apply the two-stroke penalty under Rule 1-2. (Revised)

Derek Duesler